


Bad Luck and a Broken Clock

by ZaccRiseC3P



Series: Hard to Find, Hard to Keep, Hard to Forget [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bumbleby (mentioned), Cloqwork Family, F/F, Fix It Fic, Found Family, Found Family trope is best trope, Hurt/Comfort, Ice Flower (mentioned), M/M, Other characters make minor appearances - Freeform, Rewrite, Shipping all the ships, White Rose (mentioned), but there's some drama in there, cloqwork, honestly its at least 75 percent fluff, ozqrow - Freeform, why lie? we just took all of our favorite ships and made them canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 52,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaccRiseC3P/pseuds/ZaccRiseC3P
Summary: Qrow has always had a hard time dealing with the shitty hand he was dealt.  It wasn’t until he met Ozpin that he started to feel like maybe life wasn’t so bad.  Helping Oz and protecting his nieces are the two main things that get Qrow out of bed in the morning.  When he introduced the girls to their Uncle Oz he didn’t expect anything to come of it.  Boy was he wrong.(In short, the Cloqwork side of a "make all of our favorite ships canon" AU)
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Oscar Pine & Original Character, Ozpin & Original Character, Ozpin & Oscar Pine, Ozpin & Ruby Rose, Ozpin & Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen & Original Character, Qrow Branwen & Oscar Pine, Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen & Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Ozpin
Series: Hard to Find, Hard to Keep, Hard to Forget [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872730
Comments: 79
Kudos: 120





	1. An Unconventional Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Final Edit: This used to be a very long note explaining how this story escalated from a one-shot to a seven chapter project to a 14 chapter long-fic with a parts 2 and 3 in the works. I am a walking cliche. 
> 
> Regardless, I am very proud of how this story came out! The first few chapters are like snapshots of important moments in the relationship or scenes that would be drastically different from canon. The later chapters that are all completely original flow a little better, in my opinion. Just wanted to explain myself a little XD that is all. Without further ado, I present the Cloqwork side of this AU :)

Qrow stood in the kitchen of the Xiao Long household, leaning against the kitchen counter, glass of water in hand. He watched as his nieces sat at the kitchen table, eating dinner while giggling and talking in a way that might as well have been encoded. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he did know that whatever it was made them laugh hysterically. The huntsman couldn’t help but smile at their antics. He’d do anything for them- including, but not limited to, making the trek to Patch on a two hours’ notice.

 _Tai didn’t exactly plan that very well_ , Qrow thought to himself. The second Qrow saw the familiar face appear on his screen, he knew what Tai needed- a babysitter. Qrow’s brain told him to say “no.” He just got back from gathering sensitive information for Ozpin which he promised to debrief the headmaster on as soon as he returned. They were scheduled to meet at the school that night. Regardless, Qrow’s heart screamed “yes.” He hadn’t seen the girls in months and he just wanted to feel normal for once, whatever that meant. So, perhaps without enough consideration, the huntsman said yes to Tai’s request.

Qrow dreaded the next phone call he had to make. He didn’t expect Oz to get angry. That wasn’t really something Ozpin did. He did expect Oz to be disappointed and to hear a lecture about how urgent their objective really was. The conversation did not go as Qrow expected.

“Qrow? Where are you?” Oz wondered, picking up the call. “I expected you to arrive by now.”

“About that, Oz,” Qrow sighed. “I don’t think I’m gonna make it tonight.”

“Why not? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing like that I’m just… stuck in Patch.”

“What for?”

A lump formed in Qrow’s throat. “Last minute babysitting…”

“For your nieces I assume?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Oz. I know we have a lot to talk about, I should have said no, but I just needed-”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“You’ll- wait, what?”

“I’ll meet you at the Xiao Long household. We can discuss your latest mission after you put the girls to bed.”

“You- you’re serious?”

“Of course. What’s the point in fighting for the future if we don’t protect the ones we love today?”

“Do you have to turn everything into a life lesson?”

“Sorry, old habits,” Oz chuckled. “I can be there by six.”

“Oh, okay. That’s- that works.”

“See you then.”

Now Qrow waited, weirdly anxious, for the doorbell to ring. The clock was about to strike six. Even though he knew it was coming, the high-pitched sound of the doorbell made Qrow jump. Before her uncle could move, a five-year-old Ruby impatiently announced, “Uncle Qrow! Someone’s at the door!”

Yang jumped up without hesitation. “Oh! I’ll get it!” 

“Yang, wait!” Qrow called after her- too late. Both girls darted into the living room, not listening to his instruction. By the time Qrow emerged into the living room, the headmaster of Beacon Academy was standing in the front doorway, the Long Memory in hand, pleasantly surprised to see that the girls answered the door.

Oz gently smiled, “Good evening, girls.”

“Uncle Qrow, who is this?” Ruby wondered, looking up at him.

Arriving at the door, Qrow stuttered, “This is… um… Uncle Oz…”

“Uncle?” Oz raised an eyebrow.

“They’re six, what else would they call you?” Qrow shrugged.

“Hi! Nice to meet you. I’m Yang.” 

“And I’m Ruby!” 

The sisters introduced themselves as if it had been rehearsed.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Oz nodded.

“Girls,” Qrow sighed, “why don’t you stay in the living room and play.”

“Can Uncle Oz play too?” Ruby asked, her eyes going wide.

With a sly smile, Qrow looked Oz in the eye, smirking, “That’s up to him.”

Oz returned the smile. Looking at Ruby he answered, “I’d love to.”

“Yay!” The girls exclaimed.

Yang grabbed Oz’s free hand, leading him to an area of the floor where an army of Grimm action figures were set up in a line facing a line of fighters, many of which looked like famous characters from various fairytales. Yang and Ruby sat on the ground and Oz followed their lead, retracting his weapon as he sat. Qrow could only shake his head and laugh to himself.

_He has no idea what he’s getting himself into._

~~~~~~~~~~

For a little over an hour, Oz entertained the girls by participating in their action-figure war while spinning stories about the warriors the figures portrayed. The sisters hung on his every word. Finally, Oz had to surrender. He could only sit on the floor for so long. Using his cane as support, he lifted himself off the ground and sat in the armchair behind him. Oz noticed Qrow walk into the kitchen as he retracted his cane and laid it on the end table to his left. As if she were in a trance, Ruby stood up, walking to the end table to inspect the device Oz carried with him religiously. Without taking her eyes off it, she asked, “Uncle Oz. What is that?”

Before he could answer, Ruby picked up the cane, mesmerized by it.

“Be careful with that,” Oz warned. “It’s a professional huntsman’s weapon.”

From her place on the floor, Yang echoed, “Huntsman?” Now her interest was piqued. She joined her sister, standing over her shoulder, looking at the weapon with caution. Ruby held it out in front of her, staring at it, as if it might have a mind of its own.

“What’s a huntsman?” Ruby questioned.

“Well…” Oz started thoughtfully, “huntsmen and huntresses are brave warriors, professionally trained to fight off the world’s most dangerous creatures, the creatures of Grimm, to keep others safe.”

“Just like the heroes from the stories dad tells us!” Ruby exclaimed.

Yang concluded, “Does that mean… you’re a huntsman?”

Carefully, she plucked the Long Memory from her sister’s grasp. Ruby didn’t react to the theft, only continued to stare at it in awe.

“I used to be,” Oz laughed. “Now, rather, I train those who will be huntsmen tomorrow.”

“What about Uncle Qrow?” Ruby realized. “Is he a huntsman, too?”

As if on cue, their uncle walked into the living room, hot coffee mug in hand, to answer the question himself. “You bet, kiddo,” he smiled. “Since way before you were born.”

While he talked, Qrow handed the headmaster the mug while taking a seat on the couch adjacent the armchair Oz occupied. Oz took the drink graciously, thanking his host while adding, “Your uncle and father are some of the better huntsmen I’ve worked with.”

“Even daddy’s a huntsman???” Ruby practically shouted.

“He was,” Qrow nodded, “except now he teaches the basics to kids not much older than you at Signal.”

Yang decided, “When I grow up, I wanna be a huntress!”

In her excitement, the future huntress pretended to wield Oz’s unactivated cane like a sword, swinging it around and making swishing noises with her mouth.

“Me too!” Ruby agreed. Without asking, Ruby swooped in from nowhere, snatching the weapon from Yang mid-swing. The younger sister continued to play warrior.

“Hey!” Yang protested. “I wasn’t done with it! Uncle Qrow, Ruby stole it from me!”

“You had your turn!” Ruby claimed.

That’s all it took for the two to devolve into incoherent bickering. Qrow was not going to listen to it.

“Alright, alright, alright,” he said, standing up. “That’s enough. It’s time for bed, you two.”

“Nooooo!” The two chorused, finally agreeing on something.

“Yes,” Qrow insisted, mimicking their tone. “Say goodnight. Rosebud, give O-uh, Uncle Oz his weapon back.”

Ruby obliged, presenting the cane to Oz like a gift laid in both hands.

“Sorry,” she whispered sheepishly.

“That’s alright,” Oz assured her, taking the Long Memory back. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll both make excellent huntresses one day.”

Ruby’s eyes lit up, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Unable to contain her excitement, she jumped into Oz’s arms. “Goodnight, Uncle Oz!”

“Goodnight, Ruby,” he said, squeezing her lightly.

She released the hug and started slowly walking away, dragging her feet so she could delay the inevitability of bedtime. Qrow impatiently waved his arms, motioning the pair to move faster. “Ok you two, that’s enough excitement for one night. Upstairs, now.”

The kids followed Qrow’s orders with zero physical resistance, however, the whole time they walked they complained, bargaining and begging for “five more minutes.” Qrow tolerated none of their pleas and eventually their chattering disappeared up the stairs. About ten minutes later, Qrow descended the stairs, entering the living room again.

“They're in bed,” Qrow reported. “Whether or not they’re asleep is another story. Thanks for humoring them.”

“Of course,” Oz smiled. “I was happy to.”

Qrow resumed his seat on the couch while adding, “You made quite an impression on them, telling them about huntsmen and Grimm. I think Ruby would start training tomorrow if she could.”

“I’m sure Taiyang wouldn’t be pleased with that.”

“Eh, he’ll be fine,” Qrow dismissed the concern. “He knows they’re not gonna stay kids forever.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Oz said dreamily.

“Yeah…” Qrow trailed off. Before continuing his thought, he pulled a flask from his breast pocket. With a heavy sigh he added, “Well, at least now we can get to the real reason you’re here.”

“Right. I suppose we should,” Oz agreed. “What have you learned?”

Qrow took a swig before answering, “It’s about the Fall Maiden. I think I found her.”


	2. Not the First Time...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz knew something was wrong as soon as his scroll started ringing. Qrow had fallen off the wagon. This wasn't the first time Oz had been summoned in the middle of the night to help Qrow through one of his episodes, and he knew it was wishful thinking to believe that it would be the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly, this chapter got away from me. I apologize as this is not as cute/fluffy as the first chapter and probably not what anyone was expecting (God knows I wasn't), but i felt this incident could set an interesting emotional foundation for their relationship. I promise the next chapter is going to be much cuter. (Unrelated: if anyone has any good first date ideas for Oz and Qrow leave them in the comments XD).

It wasn’t unusual for the esteemed headmaster to work long after the school day ended. In fact, it was considered strange if Professor Ozpin went home on time. Glynda tried numerous times to encourage him to take a break, but he never let up. This night was no different. After about nine o’clock, Ozpin sent the headmistress home, warning that he may be working all night. With a disapproving glare and one more fruitless attempt to get Oz to slow down, Glynda accepted the offer and went home.

By eleven, Oz was still working with no plans of being done soon. He had a whole school to look after and the threat of Salem always looming in the back of his mind. There was no time to slow down. However, an unexpected interruption forced him to leave earlier than planned. Oz’s scroll lit up suddenly, Qrow’s smirk staring back at him. Immediately, panic set in. Why would Qrow call, impromptu, at 11pm? Something didn’t feel right.

“Qrow, what’s wrong?” Oz greeted, picking up the call.

“Nothin’s wrong,” Qrow grunted, “why do you always ‘ssume that?”

Oz hesitated, “If nothing’s wrong then why are you calling?”

“‘Cus I ‘ave a question for you,” Qrow muttered.

_Oh_ , Oz thought in a moment of clarity. The huntsman was slurring almost every word. He was obviously very intoxicated.

“Qrow, where are you?” Oz asked, hoping Qrow was not in immediate danger.

Not processing the headmaster’s question, Qrow added, “Why do you keep me around?”

“ _What_??” Oz gasped.

“I’m ser’ous, Oz. I’m jus’ a curse. Why let me stick around?”

Ozpin was at a loss for words. He wanted to say something comforting, encouraging, anything, but he froze. What could he say? The silence became palpable. Eventually, Qrow came to his own conclusion. Scoffing, Qrow said, “See, you don’ even know.”

“Is this about your semblance?” Oz wondered.

“So what if it is?”

Oz sighed heavily, finally finding the words, “Qrow. You’re more than your semblance. You’re one of the strongest huntsmen- one of the most resilient _people_ \- I’ve ever met. Losing you would be worse than any bad luck.”

“ _Bullshit_.”

“Qrow-”

“No, I shoulda known you wouldn’t tell me the truth.”

“I promise you that I’m being honest.”

“I don’t bel’ve you.”

The worse the slurring became, the more Oz’s concern grew. “Qrow, please, tell me where you are.”

“Nah, fuck that,” Qrow spat. “This wassa bad idea.”

“Qrow!”

_Click_. The line went dead. Oz tried to call Qrow back, to no avail. Without a second thought, Oz grabbed the Long Memory and left the school immediately. Qrow needed help. Work could wait.

~~~~~~~~~~

Oz got lucky. The first thing he did was check Qrow’s apartment. Thank the gods, he was home. Oz’s plan B was checking every bar in Vale.

After hearing movement inside, Oz knocked and announced himself. “Qrow, it’s me. Please open the door.”

No answer. On a hunch, he tried the doorknob. “The door’s unlocked, I’m coming in.”

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a dimly lit, sparsely furnished apartment. Qrow lay sprawled out, face down on the couch, his right hand dangling next to a half-glass of whiskey and an empty bottle that sat on the floor. At the sound of the door opening, Qrow absent-mindedly waved a dismissive hand in the general direction of his unwelcome guest. His hand sent the empty bottle rolling across the floor.

“No, go away! I jus’ wanna be alone!” The huntsman announced.

Oz stepped into the apartment, inadvertently kicking the bottle as he approached his friend. Solemnly, he picked it up. “Well, I’m certainly not leaving you alone in your current state.”

“What d’you mean, I’m _fine_ ,” Qrow insisted.

Oz sighed, “You most assuredly are not ‘fine.’”

Not wanting to announce his intentions, Oz silently grabbed the half-full glass on the floor and made his way to the kitchen. As he dumped what was left of the whiskey into the sink, he heard Qrow complain, “Hey, I was drinking that.”

“I’m aware,” Oz acknowledged. “Which is why I’m dumping it out.”

“Fuck you.”

“It’s for the best, Qrow.”

“ _Fuck you_.”

Oz felt a pain swell in his chest. This wasn’t the first time he had been summoned in the middle of the night to help Qrow during one of his episodes, and he doubted that it would be the last. Just like every other time, Qrow would lash out when he was cut off. Eventually, he would settle down as sobriety set in. And, yet again, Oz would find out why his friend needed the depressant in the morning.

Oz returned to the living room with a glass of water. He helped Qrow sit up while handing him the glass. “Here, drink this.”

Qrow grunted in disapproval, but he took the glass without objecting. They’d been down this road before. Even in his incapacitated state Qrow knew refusing was a fruitless effort. He didn’t have the energy to fight back. He chugged the whole glass then demanded, “Can I have my whiskey back now?”

“No, you can’t,” Oz answered sternly, taking the empty glass and setting it on the coffee table.

“But I need it…” Qrow whimpered. “I need it to _forget_.”

“Forget what?” Oz wondered while taking a seat by Qrow’s side.

“She… she almost died, I- I can’t forget it,” Qrow stuttered. “She could have _died_ ‘cus of me.”

“Who could have died?”

“Yang. Ruby. Either of’em, really. I put’em in danger jus’ by _being_ there. I’ll never understand how Tai could let me anywhere near’em.”

“Qrow, those girls love you. That’s why he lets you near them.”

“My semblance doesn’t care. It’ll hurt them eventually.”

Oz gently placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “But you’ll be there to protect them.”

“ _Don’t_ touch me,” Qrow spat, aggressively pulling his arm away. The momentum sent him to the floor. There he stayed, unmoving and unwilling to get up.

“Ok, I’m sorry,” Oz agreed softly.

To even the playing field, Oz lowered himself onto the floor as well, careful to keep his distance now. After momentary silence, Qrow choked, barely audible, “Why don’t you just leave me like everyone else?”

“I told you,” Oz said. “Losing you would be worse than a curse.” 

“Stop _saying_ that,” Qrow begged.

“I’ll stop saying it when it stops being true.”

“It’s never been true.”

“Maybe to you.”

Qrow sighed loudly, “Gods, you are the worst.”

Finally relaxed, Qrow resigned himself. The huntsman leaned back, putting some of his weight on the headmaster’s right shoulder.

Oz added, “So I’ve been told.”

Oz was pretty sure he heard a small laugh escape Qrow’s lips. That was a good sign. Careful not to startle his friend, Oz deliberately raised his left hand and started running his fingers through Qrow’s hair. He waited for Qrow to object but was pleasantly surprised when, instead, he felt the tension release in Qrow’s shoulders.

“I’m just… tired of being alone,” Qrow sighed half-heartedly.

“You don’t _have_ to be alone,” Oz insisted. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“Maybe…” Qrow hesitated, “I don’t want you to leave...”

Oz scoffed, “As if I had any intention of leaving.”

“Guess I shoulda known better,” Qrow smiled. As he started to doze off, Qrow grabbed Oz’s right hand, wrapping it around his own waist as he snuggled closer, trying to get comfortable.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Oz promised, switching from playing with Qrow’s hair to gently caressing his face. Oz gently rubbed Qrow’s cheek with his thumb as he felt exhaustion setting in. Soon enough, the two huntsmen drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

When 7am rolled around, they both regretted the position in which they fell asleep. Oz gently shook Qrow awake and insisted that he move to the couch. Reluctantly, Qrow stirred and obliged. He looked exhausted, his eyes red and puffy. With Qrow resting more comfortably, Oz grabbed the empty glass on the coffee table and departed to refill it. The headmaster returned, handing the glass to Qrow as he gestured for the huntsman to sit up. Oz sat where Qrow’s head had been resting. When he finished hydrating, Qrow resumed his original position, now laying his head on Oz’s leg.

“I’m sorry,” Qrow whispered, his voice more gravelly than usual. “For...”

“It’s ok,” Oz assured him. Oz knew what he was sorry for, he didn’t need to hear Qrow say it. It hurt Oz to see Qrow this way. As far as he knew, Qrow had been sober for at least three months. The girls gave him a reason to try harder to not solve every problem with a drink. Something major must have happened to cause such a relapse. To find out what that something was, Oz decided to take the direct approach.

“Would you like to tell me what caused the… events… of last night?” Oz wondered.

“Would I _like,_ to?” Qrow repeated indignantly. “No. But,” he sighed, “you deserve to know.”

Oz waited patiently for Qrow to continue. Before elaborating, Qrow adjusted his position, sliding up and laying his head in Oz’s lap so he could look up at him while he talked.

Finally, Qrow sighed heavily and summarized, “The short version: a stroke of bad luck terrified the shit out of Yang and almost killed her.”

“And the long version?”

“I was watching the girls after school, making sure they got their homework done before Tai got home. After they got their work done they talked me into taking them on an ‘adventure’ around Patch. It was really just a long walk, but they were excited all the same.”

Oz smiled at the comment, Qrow continued. “Anyway, everything was going fine until we reached the cliff that overlooks the whole island. Yang was mesmerized by the view. I told her to be careful but-”

He had to pause, take a deep breath. “One step too close, I guess. The cliff just gave out under her feet. I caught her hand just in time. The three of us just sat there for a while, in shock, holding each other. The terrified look on her face right before she fell I- I’ll never forget it. And she didn’t know that it was my fault. She thanked me for saving her. She _thanked me_ , Oz. Guess I spiraled from there. Went to a bar as soon as Tai didn’t need me and, well… you know the rest.”

“She thanked you because you were there to protect her,” Oz explained.

“‘Protect her’?” Qrow chuckled without humor. “From what, myself?”

“In a way, yes,” Oz admitted. “You know the influence your semblance has on those around you, and you’re always vigilant in making sure it doesn’t hurt others.”

“Sometimes that’s not enough to save them.”

“It was this time.”

“And what about next time?”

“I suppose that becomes the question,” the headmaster agreed. “But what would you do to prevent ‘next time’ from happening?”

Qrow hesitated, “Keep my distance...”

“You think they wouldn’t notice that their uncle doesn’t come around anymore?” Oz questioned. “Those girls look up to you, Qrow. You can’t suddenly disappear from their lives.”

“Yeah well I can’t be a part of their lives either.”

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record-”

Qrow interrupted, “If the next sentence out of your mouth is that ‘worse than bad luck’ line I swear to the gods...”

Oz smiled slightly. “Fine, I won’t say it. However, my point still stands. I have a feeling Yang and Ruby would agree with me.”

“Yeah, what do they know?” Qrow laughed. “They’re eight and ten.”

“They know that you’re important to them.”

Mockingly, Qrow repeated, “More important than a curse?”

“Yes,” Oz nodded. “More important than a curse.”

“Thanks, Oz,” Qrow said, rolling over. Wrapping his arm around Oz’s leg, Qrow squirmed for a second before settling down to go back to sleep.

Instinctively, Oz started running his fingers through Qrow’s hair again as he leaned his head back. “You’re welcome, Qrow.”


	3. A Better End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Ruby help Qrow plan his first official date with Oz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is definitely a contender for "cutest shit I've ever written" (Not to brag XD). Also, thank you so much to marith for the date suggestion! It served as fantastic inspiration and I'm very grateful! Ok, enough notes, enjoy!

It was a brisk summer evening on the island of Patch. Yang, Ruby, Qrow, and Zwei were on their way back home from an extensive walk in the woods. A tired Ruby sat on her uncle’s shoulders as Yang sprinted ahead, playing fetch with the dog. When Yang got a little too far away for Qrow’s comfort, he called out, “Hey, Firecracker, don’t go too far ahead.”

“What’s the matter?” His niece teased. “Can’t keep up, old man?”

“What did I say about calling me old?” The huntsman scowled.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m not scared of you.”

“Keep talking and I’ll smack that smirk off your face.”

Following his direction regardless, Yang slowed down, falling in step with her uncle as she laughed, “We both know you won’t.”

“That’s what you think,” Qrow grinned.

Without speaking, Yang shot Qrow a look that said, “I don’t think, I know.”

Sighing heavily, Qrow admitted, “Fine, you called my bluff.”

Instead, he ruffled her hair a little, just to teach her a lesson.

From atop his shoulders, suddenly, Ruby asked, “Hey, Uncle Qrow, are you staying for dinner?”

“Yeah, can you?” Yang hoped. “I’m sure dad wouldn’t mind.”

“Sorry kiddo, I can’t,” Qrow answered. “I have plans tonight.”

“Plans? What kind of plans?” Yang wondered.

“Adult plans,” Qrow said flatly, refusing to elaborate.

Ruby groaned, “What does that even mean?”

Rested enough to walk on her own, Ruby climbed down from her uncle’s shoulders, shimmying to his left arm and sliding down it like a fire pole to the ground. She continued to hold his hand as they strolled through the forest.

“Uncle Qrow, are you going on a _date_?” Yang guessed.

“Oh my gosh, are you??” Ruby emphasized.

Qrow tried to hide the fact that he was blushing. “I’m not answering that.”

“You didn’t deny it!” Yang realized. “That means yes!”

“Uncle Qrow’s going on a date!” Ruby announced in a sing-songy voice. “With who?”

“Yeah, can we meet them?”

“Do we already know them?”

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Yang exclaimed. “Is it Uncle Oz?”

Ruby gasped, “Is it???”

“That’s enough questions for today,” Qrow insisted.

Yang pointed at her uncle, “Your face is bright red!”

“And you didn’t deny it again!” Ruby added.

Yang concluded, “It _is_ Uncle Oz!”

“What are you guys gonna do?” The younger sister wondered.

“Are you taking him out to dinner?” Yang suggested.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we’re gonna to stay in for the night.”

“Yikes,” Ruby said. “That’s a terrible plan.”

“Ruby’s right. That’s barely a date.”

“I don’t remember asking for your opinions, pipsqueaks.”

Yang thought for a second. “Why don’t you take him on an adventure around Vale?”

 _Fuck, that’s not a bad idea,_ , Qrow admitted to himself.

“Yes!” Ruby continued. “You could go out to dinner, walk around the city, and explore areas neither of you have been to before!”

_**Fuck** , Oz would love that._

“Exactly!” Yang added. “Plus, Uncle Oz is always stuck at Beacon for work. I bet he’d love to see more of the city!”

_**Fuck** , they're right. Am I seriously about to take dating advice from two ten-year-olds????_

His silence was very telling. “You’re thinking about it,” Yang observed.

“So what if I am?”

“That’s ok,” Ruby smiled. “You can thank us later.”

“You two can be real brats, you know that?”

“Yeah, but you love us,” Yang teased.

“Sometimes,” Qrow smirked, his actions betraying his words as he put a protective arm around each of his nieces.

When they got back to the house, the girls weren’t exactly ready to go inside. They spent two hours in the yard, playing with Zwei, making up games, and roleplaying as warriors saving each other from various imaginary monsters. While he kept his eye on them, Qrow rested under the shade of a tree. The idea the girls gave him kept ringing in his head. Maybe a night out would be better for Oz than a night in. Yang was right, he wasn’t able to travel to the city all that often anymore. Might do him some good to get away from Beacon for a few hours.

If he was being honest with himself, Qrow was still a little surprised that the headmaster had said yes in the first place. Ever since the day Oz took care of him after an unlucky incident with Yang sent him into a downward spiral, Qrow became a little more attached to the esteemed professor. Oz was gentle, patient, and kind. All qualities Qrow had a hard time finding in people- especially when they learned how his semblance worked. Oz never cared, he never turned away. He refused to let Qrow’s semblance prevent him from being the exemplary huntsman that he was. Qrow wasn’t sure if Oz saw him in a romantic light, but he’d have been damned if he never asked. So, with a trembling voice, Qrow finally asked the renowned headmaster out. With the calming smile Qrow had come to appreciate so much, Oz confidently accepted the invitation.

As he sat under the tree, watching his nieces play, Qrow’s anxiety started to grow. All he could think about were the ways in which the night could fall apart. Would his semblance ruin this, too? Would he be able to keep it under control the whole time? When he saw Oz pull up to the Xiao Long household and step out of his car- just for a second- all of Qrow’s anxiety melted away. He was just happy Oz said yes.

“Uncle Oz!” The girls shouted when they realized who had arrived.

Immediately, they dropped what they were doing and ran to hug him. As they latched on to his legs, Oz smiled, “Hello, girls.”

Ruby looked up at him, “Are you here to get ready for your date?”

“Am I-? What?” Oz stuttered, caught off guard by the question.

“Uncle Qrow told us all about it!” Yang explained.

Oz turned his gaze to Qrow. “Is that right?”

Qrow blushed in a panic, quickly adding, “No, I did not _tell_ them anything.”

“You didn’t have to,” Yang assured.

“Yeah,” Ruby agreed, “we would have figured it out eventually.”

“Alright you two,” Qrow sighed, “why don’t you go wash up before your dad gets back?”

“Ugh, do we have to?” Yang complained.

“Yes, go.”

Begrudgingly, the girls headed inside, Qrow and Oz trailing behind them.

“Thanks for agreeing to meet here,” Qrow said as they walked. “Tai should be back any minute now. We can leave when he gets here.”

“Of course, it was no trouble at all,” Oz answered.

About fifteen minutes after Oz’s arrival, Tai came home and relieved Qrow of his babysitting duties. After Tai thanked Qrow and the girls said their goodbyes, the couple headed out, destination: downtown Vale.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Qrow, is everything ok?” Oz asked, worry written all over his face.

The pair was sitting in a nice local restaurant located in the center of downtown Vale. As soon as they sat down, Qrow’s leg started bouncing and his eyes darted around the room. It was evident that he was on edge. Hearing Oz’s voice got him out of his own head and jolted him back to reality.

“What?” he stuttered. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Oz frowned, “You haven’t stopped shaking since we got here.”

Suddenly aware of his own leg, Qrow stopped it from bouncing.

“Sorry about that.”

“Qrow,” Oz grabbed Qrow’s hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb as he continued, “it’s ok. There’s no need to be nervous.”

“I know,” Qrow sighed. “I’m just worried that something might-”

“I know,” Oz echoed, guessing what his partner was about to say. “If anything goes wrong we’ll handle it accordingly. For now, please, try to enjoy yourself.”

Qrow smiled as Oz squeezed his hand one more time before releasing it.

Taking a deep breath, Qrow promised, “Okay, I’ll try.”

As their conversation hit a lull, a waitress came over asking for drink orders. They used the interruption as an opportunity to reset. From there, the conversation flowed from various topics throughout the meal; the only unspoken rule was no talk about Beacon, Salem, or the concept of bad luck. The more the conversation evolved, the less anxious Qrow became. By the time they left the restaurant, he had almost completely forgotten his worries. When they stepped onto the sidewalk, they headed east, further into the city.

“Where to now?” Oz wondered as they walked.

“I thought you could tell me,” Qrow admitted. “There’s a lot to do in the city and you don’t have time to get out much so we’ll… Oz?” Qrow interrupted himself as his partner started to slow down. Oz had clearly stopped listening as he was mesmerized by the store front adjacent to the restaurant.

“What about here?” The headmaster suggested.

“An antique shop?” Qrow read the sign above the door.

There was no answer. Oz simply looked at Qrow expectantly. All Qrow could do was shrug. He was not sure what he was expecting, but it was not that. The huntsman conceded, “Uh, sure. Why not?”

As soon as the door swung open, Qrow’s eyes were drawn to a table of antique weapons that was set up in the middle of the store. Six knives, two swords, and a bow were laid out very deliberately. Hesitantly, Qrow picked up one of the daggers and started twirling it in his hands slowly.

“A time before dust weapons,” Oz observed from over his shoulder.

The experienced huntsman walked around the table and picked up the bow. Without actually pulling the bow back, Oz mimed the action for taking aim at a target.

Qrow smiled, teasing, “A simpler time?”

“I’m not that much of a cliche,” Oz insisted, returning the smile and replacing the weapon.

Qrow’s smile lingered, but he didn’t respond. He returned the dagger to its rightful place and continued browsing. While walking through the aisles, Qrow ended up kicking an old box. It was tucked underneath a table, he would have missed it if he didn’t hit it. The box looked like it was filled with old records, papers, and letters. Qrow’s curiosity was piqued. He kneeled down and started sifting through it. Most of what he found appeared to be personal letters between friends and partners who lived scattered across Vale. One of the letters didn’t have an envelope. Qrow couldn’t help himself. He read the first line.

It simply read, _Hi, I’m broken-hearted!_

“What did you find?” Oz wondered, noticing Qrow was on the floor.

To no one in particular, Qrow mumbled, “That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?” Absent-mindedly, he handed the letter up to Oz.

After reading it himself, the headmaster laughed,“Yes, I suppose it is.”

When he turned his attention back to the collection, Qrow’s eyes were immediately drawn to an old newspaper. “Hey Oz, look at this.”

Standing up with the paper in his hand, Qrow read aloud, “‘King of Vale Establishes First ‘Huntsmen’ Academy in Remnant, Students Can Now Enroll.’ This has got to be at least seventy years old.”

“At the very least,” Oz confirmed.

The front page article went on to explain how the academies were the result of the treaty that ended the Great War and that there were plans to finish construction of the other three schools within the year. After skimming the story, Qrow handed the paper to Oz. A pensive look crossed Oz’s face as he read. Qrow gave him a second to process it before he asked, “You ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Oz promised. “It’s just a little… strange to see relics of a former life. To see it the way history remembers it.”

A second or two later, Oz put the newspaper and letter back where Qrow found them. As they continued to saunter around the store, Qrow started to worry about Oz. Before finding that newspaper he had never really thought about the history aspect of Oz’s reincarnation. Some of the immortal’s former lives have been memorialized in museums and history books while others have been forgotten overtime. Some of them have been remembered for centuries whereas others have faded from the memories of everyone in Remnant. But Oz remembered every detail of every life. Qrow couldn’t imagine what that must be like. To remember a lifetime’s worth of traumatic events, mistakes, and feelings fifty times over sounded like a special form of hell.

_I guess we all have a curse to bear._

They killed a lot of time in the antique shop as they continued to find old paintings, books, and tools that grabbed their attention. Finally, after scanning almost every shelf and table, they left and found themselves back on the streets of Vale. The rest of the night consisted of a similar pattern of walking aimlessly through the city and entering whatever storefront piqued their interest. Their stops included a blacksmith’s shop, a used bookstore, and a small cafe that served as their final destination- or so Oz assumed.

“Well this has certainly been a memorable night,” the headmaster said fondly, sitting with his hands wrapped around his mug of hot cocoa.

“I’m glad,” Qrow smiled. “It wasn’t exactly my idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yang and Ruby informed me that my original plan was ‘barely a date,’” Qrow admitted. “Guess listening to them paid off.”

“Maybe you should try listening to them more often,” Oz suggested playfully.

“Let’s not go that far.”

“Well at least tell them I’m grateful,” Oz requested. “I don’t get out to the city all that often anymore and I do miss it. I can’t think of a better way to end the night than this.”

“Oh, the night’s not over yet,” Qrow assured.

“Pardon?”

A smirk formed on Qrow’s lips. “There’s still one more stop on this tour.”

The huntsman suddenly stood up and offered an outstretched hand.

Oz smiled, graciously accepting his partner’s offering. “Lead the way.”

~~~~~~~~~~

As a spy, Qrow found a lot of interesting vantage points around Vale. One of his personal favorites was a cliffside, overlooking the docks. The city sprawled out to the right, the ocean gleaming to the left, bright lights from the city made the moon look slightly dimmer. 

For the first hour or so they sat on the cliffside, enjoying the view and each other’s company. However, flashbacks of a cliffside disaster almost sent Qrow into a panic. Now, instead, they laid down, a safe distance from the edge, looking up at the stars- Qrow’s head resting comfortably on Oz’s stomach, Oz’s hand laying gently on Qrow’s chest. Qrow listened contentedly as Oz recounted the stories of the constellations that they could see. He had heard the stories thousands of times and he was perfectly ok with hearing them a thousand more, as long as Oz was the one to tell them. Qrow was vaguely aware of dark clouds starting to form, but he ignored them and closed his eyes. As he felt himself drifting off to sleep, a raindrop to the forehead jolted him awake. Soon enough, the sky opened up, and it was pouring.

“Oh you’ve _got_ to be kidding me,” Qrow groaned, sitting up, putting his head in his hands. He knew the rain was his fault, they both did. All he asked for was one night without a stroke of bad luck, and he couldn’t even have that. He turned to Oz to apologize for being the cause of their situation, but he hesitated when he saw Oz smiling.

“What’s so funny?” Qrow sighed.

Oz looked toward the sky as he answered, “Oh, nothing. Just that you were so worried that your semblance might ruin the night and in the end, all that happened was a little rain. I take back my statement from earlier. _This_ is the best way to end the night.”

“I don’t know,” Qrow disagreed sheepishly. “I think there’s _one_ more thing that could make it better.”

Qrow slowly leaned in, laying a soft, lingering kiss on Oz’s lips. When he pulled away, the headmaster was grinning from ear to ear. “I suppose that would be the _perfect_ way to end the night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this is not remotely important but I just wanted to say that most of the shop locations for their date came from outings I've had with my friends which is why I included the "Hi! I'm broken-hearted!" letter. I did not come up with that line. It is the actual first sentence of an antique letter we found dated December of 1934 and when I decided to do the antique shop angle I just had to add it XD. If it felt random or forced I apologize, I just couldn't help myself. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, all feedback is appreciated! I hope to have a new update around the same time next week! Stay safe, everyone!


	4. Pick Your Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow tries desperately to get Oz to see how unhealthy it is to bury himself in his work. Maybe Oz isn't the only one who handles his emotions in unhealthy ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I freely admit that this chapter has a tone-shift problem. I thought about editing it but then I said to myself "you know what, sometimes life has a tone-shift problem," so... I didn't. But I am placing this warning here just in case. I hope you enjoy the tone-rollercoaster this chapter ended up being! :)

Qrow ascended the elevator of Beacon tower, worry etched into his face. He had attempted to call Ozpin at least five times, getting sent to voicemail for every one. Realizing Oz would never answer, Qrow called Glynda who informed him that Professor Ozpin was still working on assigning professional huntsmen to the shadow missions they were preparing for the first year students. She emphasized that they had over a hundred missions to assign- one per team- and the headmaster was determined to finish them in a night. Knowing how easy it was for Oz to lose track of time when he worked, Qrow decided to pay his partner a late night visit.

When the elevator door opened, Qrow was not at all surprised by what he saw. It was evident that Oz had been working non-stop for hours. Oz was hunched over at his desk, clearly exhausted and stressed. He didn’t even acknowledge Qrow’s presence. From what he saw, Qrow was pretty sure Oz hadn’t even paused to eat dinner. Suddenly, Qrow was glad he stopped for takeout before making the trip to Beacon. 

As he approached the headmaster, it became clear to Qrow that he would have to announce himself. He started by stating the obvious. “Oz, you look exhausted. When was the last time you ate?” Qrow was scared to hear the answer to his question, but no answer was even worse. Oz stayed silent, still unaware that another person was in the room.  
“Oz! Hey!” Qrow added more emphatically.

Still no answer.

“Oz, look at me,” Qrow begged. Finally, he gave up and gently lifted Oz’s head up with his index finger before repeating, “When was the last time you ate something?”

Oz looked surprised. “Qrow? When did you get here?”

“A few seconds ago,” Qrow grunted. “Which you would have noticed if you let yourself take a break. You still haven’t answered my question.” 

Now that he had his partner’s attention, Qrow dropped his hand.

Oz stuttered, “Oh. Around three in the afternoon, I suppose.”

“ _Three_. Oz, that was almost ten hours ago! You can’t keep doing this. Here, you have to eat something.” Qrow set the takeout bag on Oz’s desk.

“I’ll eat when I’m done,” Oz insisted, turning his attention back to his scroll. As he watched Oz use the touch screen and hold the device, Qrow could see that Oz was weak from exhaustion.

“Oz, you’re _actually_ shaking,” Qrow said. “It’s a miracle you’re able to focus on anything right now.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Come on. Let’s go home.”

Oz closed his eyes and asserted, “ _I can’t leave_.”

“Yes, you can,” Qrow rebutted. “These mission assignments can wait. The students aren’t even going on these missions for another two weeks.”

A confused look covered Oz’s face as he looked up. “How do you know-?”

“Glynda told me,” Qrow explained. “I had to call her because you wouldn’t answer your scroll. And don’t think I didn’t notice that it’s been in your hand this whole time.”

Realizing he’d been caught red handed, Oz fumbled to explain himself. “I’m- I’m sorry, Qrow. I just- I needed- I didn’t want you to be upset that I-”

Oz didn’t get to finish his sentence. As soon as Qrow’s lips touched Oz’s, the headmaster relaxed, leaning into the kiss. When Qrow pulled away he kept his hand on the back of Oz’s neck and pressed his forehead against his partner’s.

“I’m not upset, Oz. I’m worried,” the huntsman whispered. “This is the third night in a row that you’ve worked past midnight. You have to come home.”

Oz took a deep breath and conceded, “Fine. I can finish this anywhere.”

Qrow released Oz’s neck and took a step back, adding, “No. Leave work here. You need to rest.”

“This can’t wait, Qrow,” Oz protested. “I can’t fall behind.”

“And I can’t let you keep burning yourself out like this. I’m taking you home.”

An unbearable silence passed between them. It felt like an eternity. Finally, Oz closed his eyes, wincing as he turned away.

“Oz?”

“Please leave,” Oz choked.

“What?”

“Go. Now.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I can’t afford any more distractions.”

_A distraction? Is that all I am?_

Qrow’s initial reaction was one of pure anger. His fist clenched and his jaw locked as he watched Oz return to work as if Qrow had already left. He couldn’t leave, but Qrow also couldn’t force Oz to come with him. That didn’t leave him with many options. At first, he was mad at Oz for putting him in this position. It only took him a second to realize how unfair that idea was. His hand went limp and his jaw relaxed. Qrow had put Oz through so much worse, but he never left. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

_Oz won’t take care of himself, but…_

“I’m not leaving,” Qrow stated sternly, “but I won’t distract you anymore.” He leaned against the desk as if he planned on staying for a while. “I leave when you do.”

Without missing a beat Oz complained, “Qrow, you can’t stay. You have to go home and get some rest.”

Qrow smirked and folded his arms. “Wow. Where have I heard that before?”

Oz dropped his head in disappointment. Qrow played him, and Oz was so exhausted that he fell for it. “Alright, alright. You proved your point.” He lifted his head and added, “Let me tie up some loose ends. Should only take a minute.”

“I’m timing you.”

Qrow was not messing around. Exactly a minute later, he escorted Oz out of his office in the sky. As the elevator descended the tower, Qrow kept glancing at Oz. He knew he couldn’t keep letting Oz do this. The man needed a break. A plan started to form in Qrow’s mind. He knew he could do it. If only he had some help…

~~~~~~~~~~

Qrow felt a sudden wave of deja vu as he ascended the elevator of Beacon tower for the second time in three days. This time, however, he was confident that his visit would end differently. The guests he brought with him almost guaranteed it.

Unlike last time, it was about ten in the morning when Qrow arrived. Oz immediately looked up when he heard the sound of the elevator opening. Already they were off to a better start than Qrow’s last visit.

“Qrow, what are you doing here?” Oz reasonably wondered. “Shouldn’t you be at Signal?”

“I should be,” Qrow smirked. “But there were a couple of young students who wanted to see you.”

Oz simply raised an eyebrow as he waited for Qrow to elaborate. The huntsman only stood there and smiled as two familiar faces emerged from behind him.

“Uncle Oz!” Yang and Ruby announced as they charged into Oz’s office. Ruby ran to the headmaster’s left side, maneuvering around his desk to wrap him in a big hug. Yang was a little more reserved, approaching from the right and giving Oz a light side hug. The sisters stood at their sort-of uncle’s side as Yang explained, “Uncle Qrow said you could use a day off!”

“Did he now?” Oz asked suspiciously, giving Qrow a side-eyed glance.

“Yeah!” Ruby continued. “He told us you’ve been really hard on yourself and that you could use a break.”

Yang added, “He also mentioned that you wouldn’t make time for a day off so… we created one for you!”

“I see,” Oz smiled, trying to hide his disdain for the idea for the girls’ sake. Looking Qrow dead in the eyes he added, “And did your uncle happen to mention that I have an entire school to run?”

Fully aware that Oz was now addressing him, Qrow answered, “Well, I didn’t mention that to _them_. But don’t worry, I arranged for _someone_ to look after this place for the day.”

“Who?”

From behind, Qrow heard the elevator _ding_. As if it had been rehearsed, the headmistress of Beacon Academy stepped into the office and stood at Qrow’s side. 

“Glynda?”

“Qrow is worried about you, Professor,” Glynda quickly explained. “We all are.”

“You have a whole team of staff behind you, Oz,” Qrow reminded him. “They can keep things running without you for one goddamn day.”

Oz looked around pensively- first looking at the girls, then Qrow, before finally landing on Glynda. He started to protest. “I can’t ask you to-”

“Professor Ozpin, do you trust me?” Glynda asked as if she was daring him to say no.

“Of course I do, but-”

“There’s no ‘but.’ It’s a yes or no question. _Do you trust me_?”

Oz sighed heavily, “Yes, I do.”

“Then go,” Glynda concluded. “The school will still be here, organized and intact, when you return.”

Qrow nodded in approval. In that moment, he was really glad he asked for Glynda’s help.

“I thought of everything, Oz,” Qrow continued. “I got a sub for myself at Signal, I got Tai to agree to let the girls play hooky for the day, and I made sure Glynda and all the other professors knew you’d be out today. There’s no reason for you to say no.”

Oz let out one more heavy sigh before conceding. “Well I suppose I don’t have much of a choice.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Even though Oz agreed to leave of his own free will, Qrow and the girls had to essentially drag him off campus. Their first stop after they finally left the school was a small diner just outside the city of Vale.

The meal went well. Conversation mostly consisted of Yang and Ruby excitedly telling Oz about how eager Yang was to start her first semester at Signal in the fall. To hear her tell it, Yang was just as interested in learning how to be a huntress as she was to see her Uncle Qrow struggle to teach teenagers how to fight. Qrow assured her there wouldn’t be much of a struggle, but the look on her face told Oz that she didn’t believe him.

Qrow had been working as a combat teacher at Signal for about a year. He wanted to be at least a little established before Yang became a student there herself. While he didn’t absolutely hate the work, he never really embraced the role of being a teacher. After all, it was a temporary position. Most of the faculty were fully aware that Qrow intended to quit as soon as his youngest niece graduated- he didn’t exactly hide his intentions.

After brunch, the girls made an executive decision to go to a nearby park for the day. The four of them strolled through the park for only ten minutes before Yang spotted an empty basketball court and a conveniently abandoned ball. She turned to her uncle with a spark in her eyes. “Uncle Qrow, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Qrow laughed, “You want me to kick your ass in one-on-one?”

“Qrow!” Oz objected.

“What? She’s old enough to handle a little trash talk.”

“In your dreams, old man!”

Yang interpreted Qrow’s comment as a ‘yes’ and raced ahead. She grabbed the lonely basketball that laid in the grass and started to shoot around.

“Oh, that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” Qrow mumbled under his breath. Before he joined Yang, Qrow shot Oz an expectant look. It took Oz a second to realize that Qrow was asking for _permission_ to leave and play a game or two with his niece.

“Go,” Oz smiled.

Qrow gave Oz an appreciative peck on the cheek before joining Yang on the court.

Yang threw up one more (terrible) practice shot, allowing Qrow to grab the rebound and establish the rules. “First to eleven. Win by two.”

“How else would we play?” Yang asked sarcastically, catching the pass her uncle threw.

To Oz’s surprise, Ruby excitedly sat in the grass, waiting for the game to start. Realizing that Ruby was actually interested in watching, Oz sat on the ground next to her.

“Kick his butt, big sis!”

The players checked the ball and just like that, the game began. As soon as the ball touched Yang’s hands she took two dribbles to Qrow’s left. She caught him flat footed and found herself wide open at the elbow. Maybe a little too hastily, Yang pulled up for a jump shot. Just off the mark. The shot bounced off the front of the rim and right into Qrow’s hands. Rebounding was not going to be Yang’s strong suit.

Qrow took his time dribbling back to the three point line to reset. It didn’t matter if Yang was guarding him or not- she was too short to get a hand in his face. From the top of the key, he took one dribble between his legs, stepped back, and put up a three. Swish.

“Nothing but net.”

“No fair!” Yang complained. “How am I supposed to defend that???”

“You gotta adjust, Firecracker. You’re at a height disadvantage. Work with it.”

Qrow retrieved his own rebound and passed it to Yang. They checked it up again. This time, Yang hesitated to start her dribble. She held a triple threat position as she mulled her options over. Oz could have sworn that he saw Yang look at the rim, look her uncle in the eye, then glance at his feet. A wicked grin spread across Yang’s face. She finally put the ball on the floor, dribbling in place a few times. Suddenly, she pushed the ball between Qrow’s legs and bolted past him. She caught up with the ball, continued her dribble with her right hand, and effortlessly laid in a floater. No one was there to defend her. Qrow was still frozen at the three point line.

“What- what the hell was that?” Qrow finally stuttered.

“An adjustment,” Yang shot back with a crooked smile. She grabbed the ball off the ground and threw a hard pass right to Qrow’s chest. He caught it, but the rest of him was still frozen. 

Meanwhile, Ruby was very amused by the play. From the sideline, she shouted, “Yang just schooled you, Uncle Qrow!”

“Hey! I didn’t ask for commentary.”

Oz joined in, “I have to agree with Ruby on this one.”

All Qrow could do was shake his head, but he was smiling all the same. He was still up 2-1. Why should he care?

As the next possession started, Oz noticed that Ruby was scanning the park for something else to do. One could only hold the attention of a hyperactive eleven-year-old for so long. Eventually, Ruby’s eyes locked onto a swing set right next to the court. A few seconds passed before Ruby pointed at the swings asking, “Can we watch from there?”

“Of course.”

Oz lifted himself off the ground and offered his hand to Ruby. She accepted the offer with a smile. The pair then made their way over to the swings, keeping an eye on Qrow and Yang as they walked. As soon as Ruby sat on the first swing, Oz instinctively started pushing her from behind. It didn’t occur to him that she didn’t need his help. Before he could make the connection, Ruby complained, “I can do it myself, Uncle Oz!”

Oz sighed, realizing she was right. “Alright, fine.”

Resigning himself to being a passive observer, Oz took a seat in the empty swing to his right. A sudden wave of peace washed over him as he scanned the park. Qrow and Yang were smiling and laughing throughout their game. Ruby was enjoying her free day off from school. For a second, Oz wished they could live in the moment forever- a nice spring afternoon, not a care in the world. It couldn’t be classified as a realistic wish, but it was a wish Oz found himself hoping for often. Especially whenever he thought about Yang and Ruby. Those two were growing up too fast for Oz’s liking. Yang was headed to Signal in the fall, which meant she would be attending Beacon in four short years. Ruby was already eleven and she was growing more independent everyday. Someday they’d both be Oz’s students. That day was at least four years away, and yet Oz still found himself worrying about them out in the world as professional huntresses. Fighting Grimm wasn’t exactly a safe job. He’d be able to keep an eye on them while they trained at Beacon, which was a comforting thought. However, as soon as they graduated he wouldn’t be there to protect them anymore, which was a much less comforting thought (so, of course, that’s the thought he dwelled on). Oz’s anxiety only increased when he remembered that there was another threat to the girls’ safety hidden in the shadows. A select few people in Remnant were even aware of the war he was preparing for. What would he do if Yang and Ruby got caught in the crossfire?

Oz was dangerously close to causing himself to have an anxiety attack when he noticed Qrow and Yang approaching.

 _Thank the gods_ , Oz thought. He was almost scared of where his thoughts would have gone if not for the interruption.

“Who won?” Ruby asked eagerly as she slowed her swinging.

“Who do you think?” Qrow smirked.

“It’s easy to win when you get every rebound!” Yang complained. “You committed an over-the-back foul at least three times!”

“I don’t see any referees around to confirm that,” Qrow shrugged.

Yang retaliated to the smartass comment by playfully shoving her uncle away. They both laughed as Qrow prompted the group to continue their walk through the park.

The rest of the day consisted of exploring the city. Oz and Qrow let the girls pick the activities. When the girls started to get tired they made the trip to Patch. Something about being back on their island rejuvenated Yang and Ruby and gave them a second wind. The four of them spent an extra hour or so wandering aimlessly around Patch. Finally, at around four in the afternoon, they made their way to the Xiao Long house. Tai had just gotten home when they arrived to drop the girls off. Oz and Qrow were prepared to say quick goodbyes, but the girls had other ideas. Yang and Ruby begged their dad to let their uncles stay for dinner. It didn’t take much for the girls to wear Tai down. After he gave in he officially extended the invitation which the couple happily accepted.

During dinner, Yang and Ruby excitedly recounted the events of the day to Tai. He seemed most amused by the description of his daughter making Qrow look like a fool on the basketball court. Qrow was quick to remind everyone at the table who won the game. Tai did not care.

Time ended up getting away from them. Oz and Qrow stayed even after the girls went to bed, talking to Tai about various topics, including what it was like having Qrow as a co-worker. Oz found that part of the conversation to be the most interesting. Finally, the couple excused themselves and made their way home. They walked into the apartment at a quarter past eleven. As soon as Oz took a seat on the couch he was hit with the realization of how exhausted he was. It had been a long day. For the first time in a while his exhaustion had nothing to do with work. A smile crept up on him as Oz remembered that it was all thanks to Qrow. His partner was capable of being very thoughtful from time to time.

Oz was so exhausted he hadn’t even noticed that Qrow had gone to the kitchen when they entered. It only became apparent to him when Qrow returned to the living room with a mug of hot cocoa in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other. Oz’s smile faded when he saw the glass of amber liquid. Sometimes Qrow would only have a glass or two to unwind after a long day, however, sometimes there was a less obvious explanation for the alcohol. Those nights could be long. Oz could only hope that this would be a “one and done” kind of night, but he could never be sure.

The headmaster grabbed the mug from Qrow’s hand and took a sip before setting it on the end table to his left. Cautiously, Oz watched as Qrow did the same. A sigh of relief escaped Oz’s lips. One small sip was a good sign. Usually, it meant that Qrow was taking his time with his first glass because he didn’t plan on having that many. After he placed his glass down, Qrow leaned against Oz and settled down. Relieved by this development, Oz wrapped an arm around his partner, kissed the top of Qrow’s forehead, and said, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Qrow laughed.

“For giving me the day off. You- you were right. I never would have given myself that luxury.”

Qrow hesitated, “Well, actually, I was trying to show you that it’s not a luxury. I was sort of hoping today would prove to you that it’s ok to ask for help every once in a while. You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know?”

“I know. But it’s my job to run the school, no one else’s.”

Alarmed by the statement, Qrow sat up and faced Oz. “Sure, but ‘running the school’ doesn’t have to involve busy work. You can relegate some responsibility to other staff, that’s what they’re there for.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Like hell it’s not.”

“Qrow, please,” Oz begged. “Let’s not end the night this way.”

“What way?” Qrow asked, genuinely confused.

“With a fight.”

“This isn’t a fight. I’m just trying to help you.”

An uncomfortable silence passed between them. Oz’s eyes locked onto the half empty glass of whiskey sitting on the coffee table. A flood of memories returned as he sat there frozen. Memories of Qrow calling him drunk in the middle of the night. Memories of all the times he had to stop what he was doing to make sure Qrow didn’t hurt himself. Memories of trying to convince Qrow that he could stop relying on alcohol to fix everything, if only he would reach out to someone. Oz wanted to remind Qrow of all of it, but he stopped himself. What good would it do to throw that back at him? This wasn’t the right time. Before he said something he would later regret, Oz simply stood up and sighed, “I’m going to bed now.”

“Oz-”

The headmaster felt Qrow grab his wrist, but he kept walking, pretending he didn’t notice his partner’s touch. Oz brought his mug into the kitchen and left it, still hot, sitting on the kitchen counter before disappearing into the bedroom.

*** 

Qrow remained on the couch, staring at the closed bedroom door in shock. That is not how he had imagined the night ending. Eventually, he turned his gaze to the glass of whiskey in front of him. He picked it up and started contemplating having more glasses than he originally intended. As the glass touched his lips, something occurred to him. Maybe that was the problem. The image of Oz staring at the coffee table before he decided to leave was burned into Qrow’s mind. The huntsman lowered the glass.

_That’s why he’s so upset._

Oz had been in this position before- dealing with the stonewalling, deflecting, and avoiding the problem at hand. In that moment, Qrow finally understood why Oz was so adamant about his getting sober. Before, Qrow always thought that his alcoholism was his own burden to bear, something that hurt him and no one else. However, the past three months, worrying about Oz’s physical and mental health as he buried himself in his work, really offered Qrow a new perspective. Watching someone you love knowingly hurt themselves, over and over again, was one of the hardest things to do. Perhaps Ozpin just got tired of the hypocrisy of it all.

After his revelation, Qrow was starting to feel like Oz had the right idea: it was time to go to bed. Without a second thought, Qrow went to the kitchen to dump what was left of the whiskey into the sink. He surprised himself when he decided to dump the whole bottle. Replacing his late night drink with a glass of water, he chugged the whole thing before joining Oz in turning in for the night. They slept in the same bed that night, but they might as well have been worlds apart.

~~~~~~~~~~

To his dismay, Qrow was suddenly awake at four in the morning. The first thing he did was reach over to his partner’s side of the bed. Finding it empty, he panicked. For a split second, he assumed Oz had finally left him for good. A pain swelled in his chest at the thought. Qrow jumped out of bed so fast he gave himself a headache, but he ignored it. His panic only lasted as long as it took him to open the bedroom door. Qrow found Oz sitting at the kitchen counter. A sigh of relief left Qrow’s lungs as soon as he saw Oz sitting there, hands wrapped around a fresh cup of cocoa. Qrow was pretty sure that the cocoa wasn’t for drinking. Sometimes Oz just liked the feeling of the warm ceramic in his hands.

Qrow relaxed and leaned against the doorframe as he asked, “Do you know what time it is?”

“4:02am,” Oz said.

“And uh- how long have you been awake?”

“37 minutes.”

“Have you… just been staring at the clock this whole time?”

“What gave me away?”

“Lucky guess.”

Qrow thought he glimpsed a smile start to form as he walked over and sat on the stool next to Oz. Without saying anything, he laid his hand, face up, on the counter, offering it as comfort. Oz immediately accepted, interlacing his fingers with Qrow’s as they sat in silence. This silence felt different than earlier. It was more comforting and familiar. A few seconds passed before Qrow wondered, 

“Was it another nightmare?”

No audible answer was offered. Oz simply nodded while staring at the hot mug in his hand.

Oz’s nightmares were nothing new. Sometimes they were traumatic images from past lives, sometimes they were fears from his current life manifesting, almost all of them involved Salem in one way or another. These nightmares became increasingly regular as Oz worked harder and later. There were nights when Qrow would wake to find Oz asleep while shaking violently. As strange as it was, Qrow preferred those nights. When that happened, Qrow could wake Oz himself and hold him as he reassured his partner that it was just a dream. However, there were also nights when Oz would wake himself and leave the room without Qrow’s knowledge. Even though he knew Oz did it as a courtesy, those nights freaked Qrow out the most. No matter what the situation, waking up to a mysteriously empty bed unnerved Qrow. Either way, Qrow would be the first to admit that he was never sure what to say to help Oz after the nightmares. Being comforting wasn’t exactly something Qrow was known for. Tonight, Qrow opted for changing the subject.

“You know something uh- occurred to me, last night, after you went to bed.”

Oz didn’t say anything, only lifted his head, giving Qrow his undivided attention. Nervous about how to approach the topic, Qrow didn’t meet Oz’s eyes. He stared at their interlocked hands and rubbed the back of Oz’s hand with his thumb as he spoke.

“I think I understand now. Why you pushed me so hard to get sober.”

Oz’s eyes went wide. “What?”

Finally, Qrow broke down, “Oz, I can’t stand seeing you this way. You can’t sleep, you don’t eat, and you won’t accept anyone’s help to solve it. Sure, it’s not the _exact_ same thing, but the concept is. Watching someone you love hurt themselves, over and over again, only to reject you when you reach out.”

Oz looked taken aback, but in a good way. Qrow realized that it was the look of a man who was finally hearing the things he had been thinking validated.

“So I uh- think we should make a deal,” he concluded.

“A deal?” Oz repeated.

“Yeah,” Qrow confirmed, a lump forming in his throat. “I’ll… promise to sober up if you promise to start taking care of yourself…”

When Qrow started the sentence, Oz’s eyes lit up with hope, but the light was gone as soon as Qrow’s voice drifted off.

“I want to accept that deal more than anything but…” Oz turned away with tears in his eyes. “I just don’t think I can make that promise.”

That one sentence shattered Qrow’s heart. Again, Qrow found himself getting angry, but he knew that he needed to understand why before he could justify such a visceral reaction.

“Why not?” Qrow asked directly.

“It’s not simply about the school.”

“What else is it about?”

Silence. Oz still refused to meet Qrow’s eyes. It took about three seconds for Qrow to remember.

“ _Oh._ ”

Somehow, throughout all of this, Qrow had forgotten about the role Salem actually played in Oz’s life. There was a reason she frequently haunted Oz in his dreams. It hadn’t occurred to Qrow that Oz was burying himself in his work to avoid thinking about her. After another moment of quiet, Qrow found the words he was looking for.

“You know, if you keep following this road, you’ll be reincarnating sooner rather than later.” To Qrow’s relief, Oz finally lifted his head and looked him in the eyes. Qrow added, “Then who’ll protect the people of Remnant?”

Suddenly, Oz released Qrow’s hand to free his own so he could lean against it. With his right hand now supporting the weight of his head, Oz turned away from Qrow and squeezed his eyes shut, hard. Tears silently started rolling down the headmaster’s cheek. Finally, Oz let out a shaky breath, but he still didn’t say anything.

 _Idiot_ , Qrow chided himself. _Why would you even say that?_

Frantically, Qrow started to apologize, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“No, it’s alright,” Oz said quickly. “You’re right. I won’t be able to do much good if I have to start over now.”

Unsure of how to respond, Qrow decided to lighten the mood. “You know,” he laughed, “that’s the second time you’ve said I was right in less than twelve hours. That’s gotta be some kind of record.”

A hint of a smile formed on Oz’s lips. Seeing that his attempted humor worked Qrow lifted his hand, caressing Oz’s face. The huntsman used his thumb to gently wipe his partner’s tears away. Leaning into the touch, Oz held Qrow’s hand as he kissed his palm. Oz continued to hold Qrow’s hand to his face, like he was scared of what would happen if Qrow pulled away. For a second they just sat there as Oz calmed down, the simple comfort of Qrow’s presence enough to steady his breathing. Eventually, he let out another deep breath that was much less shaky than the last. Almost inaudibly, Oz said, 

“Ok. I accept.”

“You- you mean it?” Qrow asked, not daring to move his hand.

“Yes,” Oz confirmed. “I accept your deal.”

Elated, Qrow jumped to his feet and lifted Oz’s head with both hands, pulling him close so their lips could meet. It was evident that Oz was caught off guard by the gesture, but it was not unwelcomed. Their lips stayed locked as it hit Qrow just how much he truly loved this man. If staying sober meant Oz would be lying next to him when he woke up in the morning then that was reason enough to do so. Finally, Qrow loosened his grip and lowered Oz’s head. With his partner’s head still in his hands, Qrow managed to whisper, “Thank you.”

With a calming smile, Oz simply answered, “For what? You’re the one who helped me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I am not at all sorry for the tone-shift thing I do want to apologize for the basketball scene. My basketball-loving Philadelphia 76ers trash brain wouldn't let me shake the idea until I added it. But what is writing if not self-indulgent? XD Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed this update! My next chapter may be a little delayed, but I will give you a hint: Yang's four years at Signal sure do fly by :)


	5. Cutting in Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Yang have finally made it to Beacon Academy, and Oz has to learn how to treat them as students, not as family.

The huntress had looked very familiar. It took Ruby some time to process the events of the night, but as soon as she got a good look at the woman who stepped in to save her she recognized her as Glynda Goodwitch, the headmistress of Beacon. Ruby had met Glynda a few times while visiting her Uncle Oz at the school. They hadn’t crossed paths often, but they had met enough times that Ruby did not need to introduce herself- which made it even more jarring when, after Ruby helped try to stop a dangerous criminal, Glynda seemed more furious than anything.

Ruby couldn’t believe that just an hour ago she was on the streets of Vale fighting a criminal, feeling like she was the star in her own action movie. Now, she sat in an interrogation room being berraded for what she thought was the right thing to do. 

“I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady,” Glynda asserted. “You put yourself and others in great danger.”

Ruby objected, “They started it!”

“If it were up to me, you’d be sent home… with a pat on the back… and a slap on the wrist!” Glynda slammed her weapon on the table, causing Ruby to jump. The strike just missed Ruby’s wrist, and she stayed frozen in her defensive position until Glynda calmly added, “But… there’s someone here who would like to speak with you.”

_Who would need to talk to me?_

Before Ruby could voice her question her Uncle Oz emerged from the shadows with a hint of a smile on his face. As soon as she saw him, Ruby relaxed and leaned forward in her chair.

“Ruby Rose,” Oz greeted.

“Oh, hey, Uncle Oz,” Ruby said shyly. “What uh- what are you doing here?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby noticed Professor Goodwitch roll her eyes when she said “Uncle Oz.”

_Huh, I wonder what that’s all about._

Sighing, Oz answered, “I should be asking you the same thing. Imagine my surprise when Glynda calls to inform me that a small adorable girl in a red hood is fighting a group of criminals in the middle of Vale while wielding a large mechanical scythe.”

“Oh, so you heard about that, huh?” Ruby quietly wondered.

“Indeed,” Oz confirmed while taking the seat across from his sort-of niece. “You see, this is usually the part where I ask you how you learned to fight with one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed. But you and I both know the answer to that, don’t we?”

Glynda grunted under her breath, “Yeah, you’re dating him.”

Ruby let out an audible snort at the comment. She just couldn’t help herself.

“Sorry,” she added quickly.

Oz only smiled, “Instead I have a different question for you: would you like to come to my school?”

“Uh, is that a trick question?” Ruby asked.

“Not at all. In fact, if you’re interested, we could get you enrolled for the fall semester.”

“You really mean that?”

“I do. Your uncle has been trying to convince me to let you enroll with your sister for a while now. I’ll admit, I was hesitant. But he assured me that you were ready, and your… performance… tonight proved him right.”

“You have no idea what this means to me!” Ruby squealed in excitement.

“I think I can guess,” Oz said coyly. “However, there are a few ground rules we need to discuss.”

“Ground rules?”

“Yes. After all, you didn’t think I would give you special treatment while you attended Beacon, did you?”

“Maybe just a little,” Ruby admitted.

“Well, at the very least, we can’t have anyone catching on, can we?” Oz winked.

Glynda shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. Clearly, she did not approve of what was happening right now.

Oz continued, “I’ve already had this conversation with your sister. Now that you’re joining her it’s only fair that you hear it, too.”

“Sure, but couldn’t we have had this conversation, you know, at home?”

“Perhaps if you hadn’t attempted to stop an armed robbery by yourself we could have.”

“Ok, touche.”

“Now, first thing’s first,” Oz started, “I would rather you not make it public knowledge that your uncle and I are seeing each other. If the word spreads there may be doubt cast upon your early admission, and we wouldn’t want that.”

“My lips are sealed!”

“Good. Second, as soon as you step foot on campus you become my student, ‘Miss Rose.’”

“So that means you become my headmaster, ‘Professor Ozpin.’” Ruby let out a small laugh, “That feels weird to say.”

“You’ll get used to it, I’m sure,” Oz hoped. “One more thing. If you ever need anything, my door is always open.”

“Thanks, _Professor Ozpin_.” Maybe Ruby would get used to calling him that someday, but she doubted it.

This was Ruby’s dream. She’s wanted to be a huntress for as long as she can remember, and now she’s going to the most prestigious huntsmen academy in Remnant two years early! How amazing was that? She’d be slaying giant monsters in no time! Even better, she’d get to attend Beacon with her big sister! They’d be an unstoppable sibling duo, a real force to be reckoned with.

If she was being honest, Ruby was also pretty excited to meet “Professor Ozpin.” Seeing her Uncle Oz at work could be like seeing a whole new side of him. It would definitely take some getting used to, though.

It was only July and already this semester was shaping up to be very interesting.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Glynda stormed into Oz’s office with no preamble. 

“Good morning to you, too, Glynda,” Oz greeted, not looking up from his scroll.

“Letting a _child_ into Beacon Academy?”

Oz looked up and waved a dismissive hand. “If you think about it, all of our students are children when they arrive.”

“Don’t try to change the subject. You and I both know you only let her in because you and Qrow are-”

“Glynda, please!”

Crossing her arms, Glynda claimed indignantly, “I was gonna say ‘together.’”

“Of course you were,” Oz smiled. They both knew the headmistress had a tendency to be vulgar when conversations escalated. “Listen, I did not make this decision hastily. Miss Rose is ready to attend Beacon, I’m sure of it.”

“Be that as it may, I don’t trust you to keep your tendency to favor certain students in check.”

Oz looked offended. “I’ve never _favored_ certain students.”

Glynda glared at him.

“Openly,” Oz amended.

The staring only intensified.

“Alright,” Oz conceded. “It’s possible that I have a favorite or two, every couple of years.”

Arms still crossed, Glynda said, “With all due respect, Professor, you have a favorite team every year- and quite frankly, you’re terrible at hiding it.”

Even though she could be brash sometimes, it was conversations like these that made Oz glad Glynda was around. No matter what the situation, Professor Goodwitch was always blunt and honest- even if that meant calling out her boss for his bullshit.

Oz sat back in his chair. “Then I suppose you’ll have to- how was it you phrased it- ‘keep me in check’ this time around.”

“I suppose I will, _Uncle Oz_ ,” Glynda mocked as she made her way towards the elevator.

“Please don’t call me that,” Oz sighed.

Turning back one last time, Glynda smirked, “No promises.”

Right on cue, the elevator door slid open and Glynda stepped inside. She locked eyes with Oz as the elevator doors closed. All he could do was shake his head in disapproval. What else could he do? Fire her? No, not over something so trivial- the headmistress knew that very well. Ozpin would just have to deal with her teasing from time to time. Despite his co-worker’s apprehensions, Oz was sure he was making the right decision. Ruby was ready to attend Beacon, and her Uncle Oz would feel much better if she learned how to properly defend herself sooner rather than later.

~~~~~~~~~~

_Bang._

Oz beamed with pride as he watched the decapitated head of a Nevermore fall off the cliff of the Emerald Ruins, Ruby standing triumphantly on the edge. The headmaster had been a nervous wreck throughout the whole evaluation, but Ruby, Yang, and the rest of the students more than proved their skills on the battlefield, which calmed his nerves. In that moment, he felt as though his decision of who should be the leader of Ruby’s team had been made for him. However, a voice in the back of his head wouldn’t let go of the idea that Glynda might have been onto something. Was this just him playing favorites? Does he just see Ruby as the obvious choice because he’s known her since she was five? He honestly can’t parcel his instincts as a teacher from his biases as a family member. Maybe a second opinion could help him sort out his thoughts.

“Well. I suppose that settles who the leaders of these two teams will be...” Oz hesitated, ending the sentence with a tone that suggested it might be a question.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Glynda questioned, eyes still glued to the video on her scroll.

“Perhaps a bit of both,” Oz admitted.

“We both watched the same encounter,” Glynda answered directly. “She took charge of the situation, formulated a plan, organized her team, and the result was a _decapitated Nevermore_. I’d say she more than earned a leadership position.”

Oz teased, “So you don’t think my ‘tendency to favor certain students’ has warped my judgement?”

“Not this time,” Glynda smiled.

The headmistress hadn’t led him astray yet. She had kept her promise to keep her boss in line since the girls’ arrival. It was Glynda who convinced Ozpin not to greet the girls personally when they arrived on the transport, even though he desperately wanted to see their faces when they stepped foot on campus as students. It was Glynda who prevented him from approaching Ruby and Yang after he gave his welcome speech to all the first-years. And it took a combination of all of his willpower and Glynda’s constant nagging for Oz to not directly address the two of them while explaining the entrance exam at the Emerald Forest. However, during the examination, he spent most of the time switching between Ruby and Yang’s feeds, only occasionally checking on other students when Glynda reminded him that they were not the only ones out there.

For most of the evaluation, Oz was able to maintain his objectivity. He only started to falter when the Nevermore made an appearance. As soon as the Deathstalker joined the fray, his anxiety got the best of him. He was seconds away from calling on the evaluators to intervene, but yet again, Glynda talked some sense into him. She reminded him that there was no way in hell he would have intervened for any other students, but most importantly, he needed to trust them. This was the job they were training for. Not to mention the fact that the sisters were literally fighting alongside their future teammates. Finally, Oz conceded, realizing that Glynda was absolutely right- this was a fight they needed to win on their own. That didn’t stop him from being anxious the whole fight. When the fight concluded, it occurred to Oz that he had been quite literally holding his breath the entire time. He let out a deep sigh of relief after seeing what remained of the large Grimm disappear from his screen. After watching that fight, he knew more than ever that Ruby deserved to be at Beacon. Now, the headmaster would just have to make sure that everyone else understood that, too.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since the initiation ceremony, at which Ruby was made team leader, Weiss had been colder than usual- if such a thing was even possible. It was painfully obvious to everyone that Weiss was still upset about being overlooked for the position. Yang tried her best to assure her little sister that she fought well in the Emerald Forest and proved herself as a fighter. Ruby wanted to believe her sister, but doubt still ate away at her.

The new team finally arrived at their dorm at about eleven o’clock at night after attending a welcome banquet for first-year students and hanging out with some of their classmates post-banquet. As soon as they reached their room, they collectively decided to turn in for the night, not even bothering to unpack their things. They each picked a bed- Ruby on the far left, Weiss next to her, then Blake, and Yang on the end- and promptly laid down. For about half an hour, they all made a valiant effort to fall asleep. However, at some point, the team had to concede that sleep was a fruitless effort. There were too many things to think about now that they were officially training to be huntresses. At about eleven thirty, Yang admitted defeat and asked, “Is anyone else awake?”

“Me,” her sister raised her hand.

“I am,” Weiss groaned.

“I don’t think I’m sleeping much tonight,” Blake said.

“Me either…” Yang agreed, lying in bed. Suddenly, she got an idea. Popping up, she announced, “I know! Let’s play the question game!”

Sitting up, Weiss questioned, “The what?”

Ruby followed her lead, adding, “That’s a great idea, Yang!”

“What’s the question game?” Blake wondered.

“It’s pretty self explanatory,” Yang insisted.

“Yeah! Basically someone asks a question and then everyone has to answer it!” Ruby explained

“Even the person who asked it?” Weiss asked.

“Even the person who asked it,” Yang repeated.

“So how do you win?”

“You don’t win,” Ruby laughed. “It’s just a fun way to get to know people. Yang, you start!”

“Alright, give me a second…” Yang said thoughtfully. “Got it! If you could switch weapons and semblances with someone on our team who would you switch with?”

“Oh, that’s a great first question!” Ruby exclaimed. “I would switch with Weiss. Dust is so cool and it would be neat to learn how to use it!”

“I can see that,” Yang said, stroking her chin. “I would take yours, sis. Crescent Rose is a badass weapon!”

“Why thank you dear sister.”

“Switching weapons…” Blake repeated while in thought. “I guess I would trade with Yang? Maybe?”

Weiss concluded, “That leaves me with Blake’s… I can work with that.”

The four of them continued to play the question game well into the night, the questions bouncing from the normal and curious to the downright weird and confusing. As the night went on, they slowly became more comfortable with each other. Even Weiss loosened up, thinking of questions and laughing every now and then. At about two in the morning, they all started to hit a wall. However, Weiss had one more burning question before she let the game peter out.

“I’m just curious,” Weiss started sheepishly, “what does everyone think of the headmaster?”

Immediately, Ruby caught Yang’s eye. Yang knew her sister too well. The future huntress wanted nothing more than to answer the question honestly, but that would raise a lot of follow up questions. Picking up on the sisters’ apprehensiveness, Weiss elaborated, “I just- I don’t know, he seems _off_ to me. I don’t think I like him.”

“Well, Uncle Oz has always been a bit off, but we always liked that about him,” Ruby blurted out.

Too late, Ruby had realized what she said. She clapped a hand over her mouth and stared in shock. It was two in the morning, and Ruby’s filter had been obliterated an hour ago. Her sister’s stare wasn’t enough to stop her knee-jerk response. 

Yang facepalmed and sighed, “Ruby…”

Blake slowly sat up from her reclined position saying, “I’m sorry, did I hear that correctly?”

“Did you just say ‘ _Uncle Oz_ ’?????” Weiss snapped.

“One day,” Yang pleaded, looking up at the ceiling. “We couldn’t even keep this secret for one day?”

“Exactly how well do you know the headmaster of Beacon??” Weiss asked, her tone drenched in accusation.

“Well, technically we’ve known him for almost ten years...” Ruby answered honestly. The cat was already out of the bag. Lying now would only make it worse.

“You’ve known him for _how long_?????”

Blake’s eyes went wide. “I… was not expecting that…”

“This explains everything!” Weiss exclaimed. “You didn’t earn your way into Beacon, your connections got you here!”

“Says the Schnee heiress,” Blake scoffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Blake shrugged. “I just find it a little ironic for a girl in line to inherit a company worth a billion lien to lecture someone else about connections.”

“How am _I_ the bad guy here?” Weiss shouted incredulously. “The only reason Ruby is even in the room right now is because she has a personal relationship with someone in charge. Doesn’t that bother you?”

Yang interjected, “Weiss, you were with us in the Emerald Forest. You saw Ruby in action. You have to realize that she has the skills and the experience to be here.”

Blake nodded, “Face it, Ice Princess, Ruby deserves to be at Beacon just as much as you do.”

“I don’t have to sit here and listen to you two.” Weiss turned her nose up and made her way to the door. “I can’t believe you’re all okay with this.” The heiress slammed the door behind her to punctuate her dramatic exit.

For a minute, the three remaining teammates just sat in silence. They weren’t really sure where to go from there. Finally, Yang sighed, “Well that could have gone better…”

“Yeah…” Ruby whimpered. “Thanks for defending me, guys.”

“I can’t say that Weiss doesn’t have a right to have questions, but Yang is right,” Blake explained. “We were all there during initiation. You proved to me that connections or not, you deserve to be here.”

Ruby managed a shy smile. Oddly enough, it made her feel better to hear someone she just met affirm what Yang had been telling her. Blake didn’t have as much of a motive to sugar coat things. If Blake recognized Ruby’s abilities then maybe Yang was right. Ruby earned her position fair and square. 

An awkward silence filled the room for a minute, until Blake broke down. She just had to know. “So, how exactly _are_ you related to Professor Ozpin?”

The sisters’ perked up at the question.

“Oh, he’s not _related_ to us, per say,” Yang explained.

“Yeah, he’s just dating our uncle," Ruby added.

“Really?” Blake sounded surprised.

Yang thought for a second, “Yeah, they’ve been together for about five years I wanna say?”

“That sounds about right,” Ruby agreed.

Now Blake was invested. Their teammate continued to pepper them with questions, wondering what it was like to grow up with the headmaster as a member of the family- even if it was such an indirect connection. They spent at least another hour telling Blake their favorite Uncle Oz stories. As three a.m. drew near, the trio agreed that they should probably go to bed for real. Their fourth teammate finally made an appearance just as they were all climbing back into bed. The second she walked in, Ruby felt the atmosphere of the room change. Weiss laid down in her own bed without a word.

_Guess we’re not gonna talk about this tonight._

Ruby couldn’t shake the mixed feelings she had as she finally drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The whole team woke up pretty early the next morning. Weirdly, everything seemed fine. Wiess didn’t say a word about the conversation that took place the night before. Ruby hoped that her teammate had taken some time to herself, thought it over, and made peace with the information. Instead of dwelling on the drama that transpired, Team RWBY spent the morning decorating their dorm, unpacking, and rearranging the furniture (were bunk beds allowed at Beacon? Well, they are now). In fact, they spent so much time on making their room comfortable that they had to sprint across campus to get to class on time.

Professor Port’s class was interesting, to say the least. The professor spent most of the time telling stories from his days as a young huntsman, none of which seemed very important to the curriculum. Things started to get very exciting when Port asked for a volunteer to fight a live Grimm in the middle of the classroom. Ruby was thrilled when Weiss raised her hand, offering to represent Team RWBY in front of the whole class! However, Ruby’s excitement was short-lived. When Weiss suddenly snapped at her in the middle of the fight with the Grimm, Ruby had a feeling something was wrong. Her suspicions were confirmed when Weiss stormed out of Port’s classroom without a word as soon as class was dismissed. Ruby chased after her. As she turned a corner, she saw Weiss heading towards the courtyard and called after her, “Weiss!”

“What?” The heiress snapped.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Ruby demanded. “Why are you being-”

Weiss cut her off, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?! You’re supposed to be a leader and all you’ve been so far is a nuisance!”

“What did I do?”

“That’s just it! You’ve done _nothing_ to earn your position! Back in the forest you acted like a child and you’ve only continued to do so!”

“Weiss, where is this coming from?” Ruby only had to think about it for a second. “Wait… is this still about last night?”

“Of course it is! Favoritism is the only way someone could consider _you_ a leader. I’ve studied. And trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better. Your Uncle Oz made a mistake.”

The words pierced Ruby’s confidence like a dagger. Maybe Weiss was right, maybe Uncle Oz did make a mistake. Ruby thought that this conflict was behind them, but clearly Weiss had just chosen to ignore her feelings rather than talk about them. When Ruby turned to join the rest of her team, she looked up to see none other than the headmaster of Beacon Academy.

“Hm. Now that didn’t seem to go very well,” he observed.

Ruby stuttered, “Oh- hey, Un- I mean Professor Ozpin. How- how much of that did you hear?”

“Enough.”

“I can explain!”

“Ruby, calm down. It’s alright.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Far from it. I had a feeling your teammates would find out sooner or later, especially considering you and your sister ended up together. However, I will admit that I was hoping it would have taken longer than a day.”

“Yeah. Yang is never gonna let me live that one down…”

“I suppose Ms. Schnee didn’t take the news very well.”

“You could say that… She thinks I don’t deserve to be leader because you’re playing favorites… She’s not right, is she?”

“I can assure you that my decision was completely objective,” Oz said. “Your performance during evaluations earned you the position of leader. Nothing more.”

Ruby couldn’t help but ask, “Then… is it possible you really did just make a mistake?”

“Now that remains to be seen.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it’s only been one day. Ruby, I’ve made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet, but at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Would you?”

Unsure of how to answer, Ruby hesitated.

Oz continued, “Being a team leader isn’t just a title you carry into battle, it’s a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you? You’ve been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time to think about how you will uphold it.”

As the headmaster turned and walked away it occurred to Ruby that the person she just talked to- that was _Professor_ Ozpin. And he delivered one hell of a speech.

~~~~~~~~~~

Qrow strolled into Oz’s office, careful not to make a sound. The huntsman knew very well that the less he distracted his partner, the sooner they’d be able to leave for their date. Without announcing himself, Qrow sat across from Oz and threw his feet up on the headmaster’s desk. Eyes still glued to his work, Oz acknowledged his partner’s presence, “Hello, darling. I’ll be ready to leave in just a minute.”

“Take your time,” Qrow shrugged. “No rush.”

Four years had passed since the night they struck their deal, and they both held up their end of it. Oz now regularly left the school at six o’clock and Qrow got the professional help Oz had been begging him to get for years. Of course, there was the occasional bump in the road- an extra late night of paperwork, maybe the sudden urge to end the night with a ‘casual’ drink. Regardless, they kept each other in line. Oz knew that one major slip up on his part was all it would take for Qrow to fall off the wagon, and Qrow was fully aware that if he fell into old habits then Oz would have no reason to come home at an acceptable hour. It was the textbook definition of a give-and-take. Which is why when Oz said he would be done with his work soon, Qrow trusted him.

“Is there something you’d like to ask me?” Oz asked suddenly.

Qrow was caught off guard, “What makes you say that?”

Oz didn’t say anything. Instead, he just glanced at Qrow’s feet, which hadn’t stopped bouncing since he put them up on the desk.

“Is it that obvious?” Qrow sighed.

“Quite,” Oz nodded.

“Guess I have to ask, then,” Qrow realized, putting his feet back on the ground and leaning forward. “How was their first day?”

“Pretty eventful it would seem,” Oz answered.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“Apparently young Ruby couldn’t hold onto our little secret for very long.”

“She told someone already?”

“The other members of her team.”

“Well, we knew that was gonna happen eventually.”

“Yes, but unfortunately one of her teammates was very agitated by the revelation. I’m afraid they got into a bit of an… argument this morning. The whole thing seems to have rattled Ruby’s confidence.”

Qrow leaned back in his chair. “I guess you were right in not wanting to tell the students about us. It skews the kids’ view of Ruby and Yang more than it skews their view of you.”

“Which is precisely why I asked that all staff treat them like regular students as well. Ruby and Yang deserve to be at this academy, and I won’t have their peers believing otherwise.”

“I appreciate you looking out for them,” Qrow smiled. The headmaster reciprocated the gesture. “Are you ready to go?” Qrow asked finally.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Oz said, shutting everything down and standing up. “Shall we?”

Qrow stood as well. “After you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will freely admit that this chapter was very rushed. If I'm being honest, I am very excited for the next chapter so I sped through this one just to get it done. It's not my best work, but I think it served it's purpose. As always, I hope you enjoyed and all feedback is appreciated! Stay safe, everyone!


	6. Nights Like These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night of the Beacon Ball, and Ruby gets an idea to make it a night her uncles can remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I have acknowledged where we are in the plot, back to our regularly scheduled fluff (aka the real reason I wrote this story XD). Enjoy!

If someone had told Ruby that she would be going to the Beacon Ball with Weiss Schnee, she would have laughed in the person’s face. She also would’ve had to apologize to that person, because they would have been absolutely right. Ruby asked Weiss on a whim after learning that Neptune had declined the heiress’ advances. Now, the teammates were going as friends, and Ruby could not have been more excited.

Despite her excitement, Ruby arrived fifteen minutes late to the ball. She was greeted by Yang just like everyone else then found Weiss waiting impatiently on the outskirts of the dance floor. For the first hour they were together, things were a little awkward. The two of them couldn’t really find anything to talk about and their conversations kept fading out. Eventually, Weiss offered to get both of them a drink, departing for the snack table. Ruby was left alone, looking around aimlessly. Out of nowhere a familiar voice snuck up behind her asking, “Not enjoying yourself?”

Ruby found herself face to face with her uncle- no, not her uncle- Professor Ozpin.

“Oh, no, everything’s fine!” The future huntress insisted. “I’m just not much of a fancy-dancy-pantsy kinda girl.”

“You never really were,” Oz chuckled. “But you can’t spend your entire life on the battlefield, you know- even if you may want to.”

“Yeah, that lesson’s been floating around a lot lately,” Ruby sighed.

“If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren’t so different. Two partners, interlocked. Of course, one wrong move in the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot.”

“Or a twisted ankle…”

“It’s not everyday that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it’s nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we’ll never forget.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Ruby’s mouth as she thought about what Oz said. Looking around, she saw her classmates having fun, laughing, and smiling. Oz had a point. These were the kinds of moments they would remember when they graduated. Ruby spotted Weiss over at the snack table getting their drinks and thought to herself, _Maybe we can turn this night into something we’ll remember after all._

As she surveyed the ballroom, Ruby noticed that some of the teachers were mingling as well. It appeared some of them had even brought their own dates. Ruby seized the opportunity to poke some fun at her uncle-turned-headmaster.

“Maybe you should follow your own advice, Professor,” Ruby chuckled.

A simple eyebrow raise was the response.

Ruby continued, “If tonight’s about making memories why didn’t you invite your own date?”

“That would defeat the purpose of keeping the relationship a secret, wouldn’t you say?” Oz smiled.

“I guess,” Ruby hesitated. “But no one has to know that your date is related to Yang and me.”

“Nevertheless, tonight is for you students, so please, try to enjoy yourself. You never know where the night might lead.”

On that dramatic note, Oz turned and walked away without so much as a goodbye. When Ruby returned her attention to her classmates, she saw Weiss fast approaching. The heiress now stood by Ruby’s side and offered her a glass of punch before casually asking, “What was that about?”

“Oh, nothing,” Ruby sighed dreamily.

Moving on, Ruby offered Weiss a seat at a nearby table which she accepted. As they sat down, they started paying close attention to their classmates on the dance floor. Talking about their classmates led to conversations about their classes, friends, and experiences at Beacon. Now that they found common ground their conversation didn’t stop. It was, however, interrupted every time Ruby glanced at Yang on the dance floor. All she could do was cringe. Although she also had to admit that it was nice to see her sister having fun.

At some point, Ruby was surveying the dance floor and caught the eyes of Team JNPR. She smiled and waved at them before continuing her search for people to point out to Weiss. Instead of finding classmates to talk about she noticed Professor Ozpin standing off to the side, out of everyone’s way, simply watching the night unfold. The headmaster didn’t look sad, per say, he just looked… lonely. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Ruby’s head.

“I’ll be right back!” Ruby announced, jumping out of her seat.

“Wait, what?” Weiss wondered.

As she walked away, Ruby called over her shoulder, “This’ll only take a minute, I promise!”

The huntress in training didn’t wait for her teammate to respond. Realizing that her sister had been nice enough to stop dancing, Ruby looked around and saw that Yang was now standing on the second floor balcony, watching everyone from above. As soon as she spotted her target, Ruby bolted upstairs. She approached her sister excitedly saying, “Yang! I have an idea and I either need you to talk me out of it or help me pull it off.”

Yang gave her sister a side-eyed glance. “What’s your idea…?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Oz had his fair share of creepy experiences, but being called to his own office at eleven o’clock at night was definitely a contender for the creepiest. The call he received from Qrow was even more bizarre. His partner seemed calm over the phone, but Qrow’s message was all over the place. It didn’t seem to make a shred of sense. Of course, Oz immediately assumed the worst. Something must have been wrong. His anxiety turned to confusion as the elevator doors opened to reveal his office.

“Qrow, is everything-” Oz cut himself off. “What’s all this?”

As soon as he stepped off the elevator, the headmaster was struck with the sound of a beautiful piano-cello duet pouring out of the speakers.

_Debussy’s Clair de Lune_ , Oz recognized the melody. _A good choice._

Oz glanced around the room and noticed that some of the decorations from the ball were now in his office. Finally, his gaze landed in the middle of the room where he saw Qrow, dressed to the nines in a three piece suit- black suit, white dress shirt, grey vest, red tie- holding a bouquet of red and white roses, his nieces standing on either side of him.

“Ruby called,” Qrow grinned, “said you could use some company.”

“The flowers were Uncle Qrow’s idea,” Ruby added.

“He also picked the music!” Yang exclaimed.

“And Yang stole some decorations from the dance,” Ruby laughed.

“Correction: I _borrowed_ them.”

The decorations, the music, the flowers, it hit Oz all at once. No one had ever done anything this nice for him before. It took everything he had not to cry. When he composed himself enough to speak he looked at Ruby and smiled, “You know, when I told you that tonight was about making memories I meant memories of your own.”

“I know, and I did!” Ruby promised. “Now it’s your turn.”

Well if Oz wasn’t going to cry before, he sure as hell was going to cry now. At least they’d be tears of joy. Choking back a sob, Oz croaked, “Thank you. Both of you.”

Instead of saying “you’re welcome,” Ruby skipped the formalities and wrapped Oz in a hug. The headmaster kissed the top of Ruby’s head and squeezed her tightly to show his appreciation. Yang joined in, wrapping her arms around her sister and uncle. After a pause, the girls let go and took a step back. 

“Alright, we’ll get out of your way,” Ruby chirped.

As they stepped into the elevator, Yang called over her shoulder, “Have fun!”

Oz laughed to himself as he watched the doors slide closed. _Those girls sure are something._

Turning his attention back to his partner, Oz said, “I must admit, you clean up nice.” Oz adjusted Qrow’s tie and brushed his shoulders before pecking him on the cheek.

Spreading his arms, Qrow admired his own outfit for a second, adding, “You like it? Haven’t worn something like this in ages.”

“Well it’s certainly an improvement over your usual garb,” Oz smirked.

“Are you implying I don’t always look good?”

“I’m implying that there’s always room for improvement.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

After a slight pause, Qrow smiled, presenting the roses to his partner like they were an invitation. “So. May I have this dance?”

Oz accepted the flowers graciously. “Certainly.”

Promising to get a proper vase for the bouquet later, Oz laid it on his desk before returning to his position in the middle of the room. The interwoven melody of the cello and piano serenaded them as Oz grabbed Qrow’s left hand with his right. Their fingers interlaced and Oz placed his free hand on Qrow’s shoulder while Qrow rested his on Oz’s hip. Gently, the couple swayed as the headmaster inquired, 

“You picked the music, hm?”

Qrow blushed, “Yeah, I- I tried, at least.”

“I’m impressed,” Oz mused. “This is one of my favorite pieces. I didn’t think you listened when I talked about my taste in music."

"Hey, give me a little credit… I zone in and out."

“You know,” Oz sighed, “sometimes I wonder how we’ve been together for so long.”

“Don’t start wondering too much. You might come to your senses and leave me.”

“I believe that would be the _opposite_ of coming to my senses, dear.”

As their conversation came to a close, so did the first song. Immediately, Oz recognized the next song as Frank Bridge’s Spring Song. He fondly recalled once hearing someone refer to the melody as sounding “the way the word ‘lovely’ feels.” At the time, he thought it was an absurd statement, but listening to it now he had to agree. Maybe he was just projecting his personal feelings onto the song. After all, ‘lovely’ was the perfect word to describe this little private dance.

The couple danced for the whole song in relative silence. They kept their movements simple, maybe adding a spin move or a dip every now and then. When the last note rang out, Qrow spun into the headmaster’s arms. Another song started to swell through the speakers as Oz held Qrow close, pressing his face against his partner’s before kissing him on the cheek and saying, “You continue to surprise me. I wasn’t expecting ‘ballroom dancing’ to be a skill of yours.”

“Yeah? You’re not half bad yourself,” Qrow answered, a hint of surprise in his tone.

“Over a millennia of experience tends to lend itself to learning these sorts of things.”

“Guess I shoulda known better.”

Qrow spun out of Oz’s embrace and the two returned to their original position. This time, however, Qrow pulled Oz closer than before. Oz slowly slid his left hand over Qrow’s shoulder, up his neck, stopping at his cheek. For a second, he only stared into Qrow’s pale red eyes while caressing his face. He felt like he could stare into those eyes forever. Finally, Oz pulled Qrow in for a long, gentle kiss. When their lips parted, Oz leaned his forehead against Qrow’s and whispered, “Thank you. For tonight. It truly is a night I’ll never forget.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, I was really proud of this idea but not hyped by the way I executed it. Only problem is I can't figure out why I'm not thrilled with it. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. All feedback and/or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!
> 
> Fun inside joke anecdote time: When I was trying to pick pieces for the dance scene I asked a close friend of mine for help. They got back to me within three minutes with like a whole playlist. After I listened to the Spring Song by Frank Bridge I told them it was really pretty and they said, in all caps, "It sounds the way the word lovely feels!" and I knew I just had to include that phrase in the story so... yeah, that's why it's there (because I love my friends) XD


	7. Send in the Scouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz, Ironwood, and Glynda deal with the fallout of a sudden security breach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick little update today. Mostly this chapter is just to explain the changed timeline (we had to mess with it to get the dance scene to work XD) and add a little character development. That is all.

_This is the last thing I needed today_ , Oz thought.

Two of the headmaster’s closest advisors now stood in front of him bickering like children. The result of a disagreement about how to proceed after the events of last night.

At ten o’clock the previous night, Oz received a call from General Ironwood informing him that someone had infiltrated the CCT and that two students had tried to stop it- and one of those students just so happened to be Ruby. Hearing about the whole affair had Oz rattled. Sure, he already knew that Team RWBY had been snooping around the White Fang, but now they may be getting dangerously close to Salem and her pawns, too. That was the last thing Oz wanted.

It did not make him feel better that all of this was happening the week before the students were scheduled to go on their shadow missions. The end of the school year was stressful enough, he did not need a reason for it to be even worse.

Now he sat at his desk, listening to Glynda and James go back and forth as they waited for the two students involved in the event to arrive. Oz was starting to get a headache.

“They were here,” Ironwood asserted. “Ozpin, they were here!”

“We are very much aware of that, James, thank you,” Glynda snapped.

“Fantastic, you’re aware. Now are we going to do something about it or are we going to stay the course and continue to ignore what’s right in front of us?”

Suddenly, the elevator dinged, and Oz was grateful for the interruption. He stood and announced, “Come in.”

Ruby and Weiss stepped into the office tentatively.

“Sorry it took so long,” Ruby apologized. “Somebody accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here… It wasn’t me.”

“Well it certainly wasn't me,” Weiss grumbled.

“Thank you for coming, you two,” Oz greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“Ok, I guess,” Ruby hesitated. “Personally, I’d feel better if my bad-guy-catching record wasn’t 0 for 3.” The joke was met with silence. “Ok, so that’s the tone we’re going for, got it.”

The Atlesian General approached the students. “Girls, I feel that it’s appropriate to let you both know that I think that what you did last night is exactly what being a huntress is all about. You recognized  
a threat, you took action, and you did the very best you could.”

Ruby nodded, “Thank you, sir.”

Weiss echoed, "Thank you, General Ironwood."

“Now, the General has already informed us of the events that… transpired last night,” Oz explained. “But now that you’ve rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add.”

Glynda elaborated, “Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?”

“We- we don’t know,” Ruby answered. “She was wearing a mask and she never said anything, but I know she fought with glass."

“Yeah, it was odd,” Weiss interjected. “I don’t think the glass was her semblance, though. Her clothing sort of lit up every time she attacked...”

Glynda pondered, “Save for the glass, that sounds like the same woman I fought the night I ran into Ruby.”

“Embedding dust into clothing is an age old technique, it could have been anyone,” James sighed.

The girls traded a concerned glance before Weiss wondered, “Do you think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?”

“It’s possible,” Oz said, stroking his chin. “But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together.”

Oz noticed that Ruby looked at Weiss like she wanted to add something else. Weiss objected with a silent head shake. Clearly, Ruby felt that she should speak anyway. “Actually, I- I think I remember her saying something about a hideout or something, in the southeast… Just outside the kingdom.” 

“Interesting,” the headmaster smiled.

Glynda started, “I thought you said the intruder-”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby,” Oz interjected. “Why don’t you go and spend some time with your team? You two have a big couple of weeks ahead of you.”

“Anytime!” Ruby chirped as she turned to leave.

“And girls,” Oz called after them. “Please try and be… discrete about this matter.”

“Yes, sir,” the two chorused.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind the students, Ironwood reasoned, “Well there we have it. We send as many troops as we can to the southeast. Find out exactly what’s going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way.”

“Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado?” Glynda demanded. “You treat every situation like it’s a contest of measuring di-”

“Glynda!”

The headmistress crossed her arms. “Well he does.”

After a pause, Oz replied, “She’s right. As much as I, too, would like to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale, beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of a master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn’t be so bold, nor can we risk the spread of panic.”

James protested, “I have served you faithfully for years, but if you mean to tell me that your plan is really to hold the defenses and wait-”

“It is not!” Oz snapped. “You’re a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, who do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?”

“Very well,” James conceded with a heavy sigh. “I suppose the best way to lose a war is to charge in without knowing your enemy.”

“Now the question becomes who do we send in?” Glynda asked.

“I think we just spoke to them,” James suggested. “Ruby and her team seem more than up to the task.”

“Absolutely not,” Oz objected immediately.

Glynda started, “Professor-”

“They are already too close to the matter,” Oz continued. “I won't have them risking their lives for this again.”

“Ozpin, please. Think about this rationally,” James said. “They've clearly been doing some investigating of their own, how else would Ruby have known about their base of operations?”

Glynda added, “How much they know aside, you know you would send them in without a second thought if we weren't talking about Ruby and Yang. You have to trust them, Professor. After all, they are here to be huntresses. Now you have to let them be huntresses.”

Oz took a second to collect his thoughts. He wasn’t thrilled when he realized that his associates both made valid points. Ruby clearly knew about the base in the southeast based on information she received from a different source- and then she lied about it. Team RWBY was already on the scent, odds were they were going to end up in Mountain Glenn whether Oz let them or not. At least if he authorized it he could make sure they went with one of his best huntsmen, fully informed of what the girls' real objective was. 

Exasperated, Oz answered, “I suppose I don't have much of a choice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel it is important to warn: the next chapter may take a while. My brother and I are working on a major crossover with his White Rose AU and we're writing the chapter together so it's going to take a lot of coordination and planning. Stay tuned :)


	8. Just My Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow is preparing to leave for one of his longest missions of the year. Oz isn't really prepared to let him go. Neither of them could predict how their last night together would turn out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The peak of the Cloqwork/White Rose crossover. I say this with pride, but my brother and I are quite literally trash. We wrote this chapter together, so it's an interesting mix of both of our writing styles. It came out almost exactly as we both pictured it, and we had a lot of fun writing it. We hope you enjoy it, too! XD

Promising to sober up wasn’t the only thing Qrow had done for Oz since they became exclusive. One of the first things Qrow clarified as soon as they started dating was that he would not relinquish his role as a spy in the war against Salem. Not only did the role offer Qrow an extra purpose in his life, but it also allowed him to share at least a piece of the burden Oz had to bear everyday. There was no way for Qrow to fight the whole war for Oz. Nonetheless, he could still gather information and keep his partner safe in the process. That was his job, and he was more than happy to do it.

Regardless of how Qrow viewed his position, he knew that Oz saw it differently. Sending Qrow into the field always made Oz feel guilty, no matter how many times Qrow reassured him that there was nothing for him to worry about. However, Oz’s guilt led to one of Qrow’s favorite traditions of theirs: pre-mission date nights. On these nights, Qrow was allowed to make most, if not all, of the decisions. It was Oz’s small way of proving that the most important role Qrow played in his life was as a partner, not a spy. Of course, Qrow already knew that, but he had to admit, it was cute that Oz tried extra hard on these nights to show it.

This time, Qrow was expecting to be gone for a while, so he opted for dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was pretty expensive, which was why he saved it for tonight. He knew Oz wouldn’t say no. They now sat at a table for two, minding their own business, preparing to order.

“It’s not like you to pick a night out to a restaurant over a night in and a home-cooked meal,” Oz remarked as he scanned the menu.

Qrow shrugged, “Eh, thought we could try something new this time around.”

“Hm. And you’re not worried about…?” Oz trailed off, as if the phrase ‘bad luck’ might ruin the night by itself.

“A little,” Qrow admitted. “But you signed up for this, remember?”

“Indeed.”

“Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Qrow was barely able to finish his sentence before he froze. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Was that Weiss Schnee sitting not three tables away from them? Not only that, but she’s sitting with… 

_You’ve got to be_ fucking _kidding me._

Oz recognized the look on Qrow’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Oz followed his partner’s line of sight, stopping when he recognized Ruby sitting at a nearby table with none other than Weiss Schnee. “Ah. Well that’s unexpected.”

“What the hell is she doing, going on a date with a _Schnee_?”

“Well, if you’d like to find out we could always join them,” Oz chuckled.

“Fuck no! That’s the only thing that could make this worse.”

“I was only kidding,” Oz promised. “Honestly, dear, you must relax.”

Again, Qrow stared at them, unable to tear his attention away.

“Ignore them,” Oz reiterated. “We’ll be fine.”

“Alright,” Qrow grunted.

Qrow glanced down at his menu before stealing one more look at the girls. Big mistake. He locked eyes with Weiss.

_Shit._

~~~~~~~~~~

Unhappy with Ruby’s choice of venue for their last outing, Weiss insisted that she pick the restaurant this time. Naturally, she selected somewhere a little closer to her usual price range- meaning that it could cost over 100 lien for a full course for two.

Weiss’ night was going quite well. That is, until she noticed a man sitting across from her headmaster lock eyes with her. It didn’t take too much brain power to figure out he was Ruby’s uncle she had heard so much about.

Noticing that she lost her date’s attention, Ruby asked, “What’re you staring at, Weiss?” She looked towards the table Weiss’ eyes were locked onto and immediately recognized her uncles, who'd managed to get back to their date, now too distracted to notice the second set of eyes peering over at them.

Ruby gasped with excitement, “Oh my gosh! Are those my uncles?!”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Weiss asked in response.

“We should go over and say hi!”

“What? No, Ruby, they’re clearly just enjoying their evening. We should just enjoy ours, too. No need to entangle our dating lives with theirs.” 

As she said it out loud, she realized how much she would hate that herself. The last thing she needed tonight was to be introduced too soon to Ruby’s family.

“Aww, come on. I can introduce you to Uncle Qrow! I’m sure he’ll be excited!”

 _Would he, though?_ Weiss thought, projecting just a bit.

She managed to formulate an argument against her girlfriend. “Ruby, stop. We shouldn’t go bothering them. I’m sure they wouldn’t want us to just-”

She was cut off by Ruby yanking her by the arm over to Qrow and Oz’s table. Ruby had completely stopped listening to her girlfriend. Weiss realized as she was being dragged across the restaurant that this- being forced into social situations she hates- might be a regular occurrence with Ruby around.

_Great. This is just my luck._

~~~~~~~~~~

“I guess we won’t get much say in the matter after all,” Oz sighed as he spotted Ruby dragging Weiss over. He turned his attention back to Qrow to find that the huntsman already had his head in his hands.

“I found my answer,” Qrow mumbled, the words muffled as he spoke into his hands. “It’s this. This is the worst thing that could happen.”

 _It’s certainly not how I saw the night going_ , Oz laughed to himself.

As the girls approached the table, Ruby waved emphatically, saying, “Hiiiiii, it’s so good to see you!”

The young huntress gave her Uncle Qrow a hug, which he accepted as best he could from his seated position. Then Ruby looked at Oz, her question written all over her face. Smiling, Oz opened his arms- an unspoken answer to an unspoken question- and Ruby gleefully hugged him, too. Weiss, meanwhile, stood to the side, her face bright red, as she clearly struggled not to die of embarrassment- to no avail. 

“Sooooo,” Ruby started, “we just happened to be here too, and I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you Weiss and I are dating! Oh, uh, Uncle Qrow, this is Weiss Schnee!”

Weiss awkwardly waved.

Bitterly, Qrow answered, “Yeah, I’m familiar. I’ve crossed paths with your sister more than a few times.”

There was a fleeting moment of awkward silence, which Ruby broke abruptly.

“So...do you mind if we sit down for a bit?”

Oz locked eyes with his partner, his message clear in his expression: _It’s up to you, but I dare you to say no to your niece._

The way Oz saw it, Qrow had three options, and none of them were very good. Either the huntsman said yes and Ruby and Weiss joined them, which obviously he didn’t want. Or he could say no, of course, that would break Ruby’s heart and there’s no way Qrow could bring himself to do that. Alternatively, he could pass the decision to Oz, but Qrow knew very well that the headmaster would say yes just to fuck with him, which would lead to the same result as option number one. In the end, Qrow decided to cut out the middle man.

Sighing in defeat, Qrow finally answered, “Yeah, sure.”

“Yay!” Ruby exclaimed. “Double date time!”

Weiss muttered under her breath, “Please don’t call it that…”

~~~~~

The group pushed two tables together and rearranged slightly to make sure the couples sat facing each other. Shortly after, a waitress came over to take their drink orders. As she left, Ruby saw the curiosity forming on Oz’s face, and prompted the question he so clearly wanted to ask.

“Well, then if I may be so bold, when did…this,” he gestured to Ruby and then to Weiss, “first happen?”

Ruby thought a little before giving her response. “Well… you know how you told me to make the night of the dance a special one?”

“I do.”

“Well, we did!”

Qrow seemed a bit concerned by that answer. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

Weiss gave Qrow a bit of a dirty look and responded, “That was the night I asked Ruby out for the first time...” 

Even Ruby could tell that Weiss looked a little upset by what Qrow was asking. She couldn’t figure out why her uncle was so concerned in the first place, though. She decided to break the tension by continuing Weiss’ answer. “Yeah! And our first official date was the night we ran into that woman in the CCT.”

“That’s certainly one way to conclude a night out,” Oz remarked.

The rest of the night continued just as awkwardly as it began, with Ruby and Oz keeping up most of the conversation. Weiss and Qrow occasionally interject, but they both seem hesitant to begin conversations for some reason. To be honest, Ruby didn’t care. But she did care that all these people she held dear were gathered together. It only got better when she learned the real reason her uncles were out that night.

“You’re gonna be gone for _how long_?!” Ruby lamented loudly.

Qrow repeated, “About three months, give or take.”

“You mean you’re gonna be gone all summer?”

“Yes, unfortunately, he will be,” Oz shared in Ruby’s disappointment.

There was a moment of silence before Ruby came to a realization.

“Wow, it’s great luck we ran into you guys, then, huh?”

Qrow sighed, “Yeah… great luck, kiddo.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Tonight was your fault, you know,” Qrow accused.

“Oh really?” Oz asked half-heartedly. “And how does that follow?”

The pair had been home for about an hour. They were relaxing on the couch in relative silence. Qrow was lying down, taking up the length of the couch with his feet in Oz’s lap while the headmaster sat on the far left, holding a book in one hand and rhythmically rubbing his partner’s leg with the other. The silence was only broken whenever Qrow thought of a new explanation for how the night had gone awry.

“You heard what Ruby said,” Qrow continued. “Her and the Ice Princess started dating after _you_ told them to make the ball memorable.”

“I believe that’s correlation, not causation,” Oz said while flipping the page of his book.

“Whatever,” Qrow grunted. “I’m still blaming you.”

“Does placing the blame on me make you feel better?” Oz smirked.

“Actually, yeah, as a matter of fact, it does.”

“Then I’ll happily take the fall, darling.”

“Okay, well, it doesn’t help if you play along,” Qrow sighed, his comment laced with an affectionate tone.

As he finished speaking, Qrow adjusted his position, spinning around and placing his head on Oz’s leg while wrapping his arm around it and squeezing. Oz started absent-mindedly playing with Qrow’s hair as he finished reading the paragraph he was on. Soon enough, he put the book down, planted a light kiss on Qrow’s cheek, then said, “Regardless of who’s to blame, you could at least look on the bright side.”

“Yeah? And what was the ‘bright side’?”

“You got to see your niece before you leave Vale for three months,” Oz stated bluntly. “That has to count for something.”

“I guess.”

Again, Qrow squeezed Oz’s leg as he squirmed before finally getting comfortable and settling into his position. Now that his partner seemed content, Oz leaned his head back and closed his eyes while resuming to run his fingers through Qrow’s hair. As Oz’s body started to relax, his mind started waging a war.

Sending Qrow into the field was quite the conundrum for Oz. It left him with a strange sense of gratitude and guilt that he could never quite balance. On one hand, Qrow was an amazing huntsman who was great at what he did, gathering vital intel on Salem and her pawns. Of course, on the other hand, Oz couldn’t wash away the feeling that he was sending Qrow into the field to do his dirty work. 

Although, as Qrow explained myriad times before, ‘doing the dirty work’ was about a hundred times more dangerous for Oz. Salem wouldn’t hesitate to have her minions kill him on sight, but Qrow was just a pawn. An insignificant player in a bigger game. Well, at least from Salem’s perspective. However, in Oz’s eyes, Qrow was the most valuable player.

“Are sure you’re gonna be ok when I leave tomorrow?” Qrow asked out of the blue.

A flat “I’ll be fine” would have been a lie, and Oz was aware that his partner would see right through it. He chose his response carefully. “I think the better question is: are you sure you want to go?”

“Nice try,” Qrow scoffed. “You can't turn this around on me.” The huntsman half rolled over, now looking his partner in the eye to add, “This was part of our _original_ deal, remember? I’m not gonna stop working with you just because our relationship status changed.”

Oz continued to brush his fingers through Qrow’s hair as he sighed, “I know, I know. Granted, it was easier for me to agree to that arrangement when you were only going to be gone for two weeks at a time.”

“Yeah…” Qrow hesitated. “To be honest, I wasn’t really considering these long term missions when we talked about this, either. But it’s my job, I have to do it. For-” 

The thought was left incomplete as Qrow cut himself off and turned away.

“For what?” Oz pressed.

“For…” Qrow closed his eyes, contemplating his choice of words. Finally, he opened them again and looked his partner dead in the eyes and said, “for you, Oz. I can’t fight Salem for you, but this- being a spy- is something I can do. It’s the part I play and- not to brag, but- I’m damn good at it.”

Oz smiled, “Definitely bragging.”

“Eh, maybe a little.”

Oz chuckled as he switched from playing with Qrow’s hair to gently rubbing his partner’s cheek with the backs of his fingers.

“I need to play my part, I-” 

Another pause. 

“I need to protect you.”

For a moment, all Oz could do was stare adoringly, his partner’s pale red eyes clearly searching for a reaction. “How did I get so lucky to find you?”

Qrow rolled his eyes at the cheesy response. “Alright, there’s no need to use the L-word.”

Telegraphing his intentions, Oz gently caressed Qrow’s face as he leaned forward and laid a soft, lingering kiss on his partner’s lips. Oz pulled away, continuing to hover over Qrow only to add, “I respectfully disagree.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

As their lips locked again, Oz couldn’t shake the thought that kept replaying in his mind.

_It’s going to be a long few months without him._


	9. The Fate of the Ones We Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vytal Festival has come to Vale, and Qrow comes back with an unsettling warning for the Inner Circle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, but I will not lie. This chapter kicked my ASS. I am DONE with this. I think it came out alright, but I am aware that it could have been better, I just did not have the mental capacity to go through and edit it one more time. Ok, enough complaining, time for the chapter to begin. I hope you enjoy the fall ;)

When Oz was summoned to the courtyard to break up what he was told was a “childish skirmish,” he wasn’t thrilled. The headmaster had more than enough things to worry about since the Vytal Festival was in town, he did not need to add “two idiots fighting on campus” to the list.

To his dismay, Oz found that one of the idiots was his. A strange mix of emotions stirred in Oz’s head as he approached the scene and realized that Qrow was at the center of it all. On one hand, Oz hadn’t seen his partner in three months and he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Qrow was back in Vale, a few days ahead of schedule. However, this was not exactly how Oz pictured the reunion. Unfortunately, he’d have to chastise Qrow for his unruly behavior later, as Oz and his associates had some urgent business to attend to.

“What were you thinking?” Winter Schnee confronted the spy as soon as he stepped off the elevator.

James interjected, “If you were one of my men I’d have you shot!”

Qrow only rolled his eyes and spat, “If I was one of your men I’d shoot myself.”

 _I’m begging you, Qrow, please behave,_ the headmaster thought. Who was he kidding, Qrow wasn’t going to calm down. The huntsman was still furious at the general for getting the Vale council to rule that the Atlas military would handle all security needs for the Vytal Festival- a ruling that Oz was openly and vehemently against. However, Qrow was not as forgiving as his partner, and Ironwood being present for the festival offered Qrow the perfect opportunity to voice his frustrations.

“While I don’t condone his behavior,” Glynda said, addressing Winter, “retaliating like you did certainly didn’t help the situation.”

“He was drunk!”

“ _Actually_ , I wasn’t,” Qrow corrected the special operative with pride. “Sober four years, Ice Queen.”

"So, what, you’re just an asshole?”

Qrow threw her a wink, “You bet.”

Ironwood sighed aggressively, “Qrow, why are you here? You’ve been out of contact for weeks. You can’t just go dark like that in the field!”

“I’m not one of your ‘special operatives,’ Jimmy-” Qrow snapped.

“ _General,_ ” Winter emphasized.

“Whatever. My job was to get intel on our enemy and I’m here to tell you, our enemy is one step ahead of us.”

James crossed his arms. “We know.”

“Oh, oh, you know?” Qrow’s voice got louder with every word. “Well thank goodness I’m out there risking my life to keep _you_ informed!”

“Qrow!”

The huntsman got in the general’s face to add, “Communication’s a two-way street, pal.” He took out his scroll for a demonstration. “You see this? That’s the ‘send’ button!”

“We had reason to assume you’d been compromised,” Winter retorted.

“And I have reason to assume you don’t need to be here,” Qrow clapped back. “Seriously, who invited her?”

“Schnee,” Ironwood said, “we’ll discuss this incident back on my ship.”

“But, sir-”

“Winter! Leave.”

Finally, Winter conceded, “Yes, sir.”

As Winter marched towards the elevator she stared down the man who had caused her so much grief that day. Qrow responded with a playful wink.

When the elevator door closed, James prompted, “Go on.”

“Your little infiltrator isn’t just another pawn. They’re the ones responsible for Autumn’s condition.”

“What?” Glynda gasped.

Qrow continued, “Despite what the world thinks, we’re not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we’re the ones who keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. It’s why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James. When you brought your army to Vale did you think you were being discreet or did you just not _give a damn_?!”

“Discreet wasn’t working,” James said. He grabbed his scroll and placed it on Oz’s desk. A hologram of Amity Arena flickered on in the middle of the room. The general gestured towards the floating image and explained, “I’m here because _this_ is what was necessary.”

Qrow had a different interpretation of Ironwood’s presence. “You’re here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that’s in front of us!”

“And I am grateful-”

“Oh, well, you’ve got a real funny way of showing it.”

“The people of Vale needed somebody to protect them. Someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe. And our enemies will feel our strength.”

Laughing without humor, Qrow asked, “You- you think they’re scared of your little ships? I’ve been out there and I’ve seen the things she’s made, and let me tell you, they _are_ fear.”

“And fear will bring the Grimm,” Oz interjected. “A guardian is a symbol of comfort, but an army is a symbol of conflict. There’s an energy in the air now. The question in the back of everyone’s minds is ‘If this is the size of our defenses, what is it we are planning to fight?’”

James grabbed his device, causing the projection to disappear. “So then, what would you suggest we do?”

“I suggest we find our guardian,” Oz asserted.

“I assume you already have someone in mind,” Ironwood wagered.

“You would assume correctly,” Oz nodded. “We can discuss the matter in detail later, but for now I wish to speak to Qrow. Alone.”

“Of course,” the general responded coldly. “We can reconvene tomorrow.”

The glare Ironwood gave Qrow as he walked towards the exit could have cut through glass. However, the huntsman seemed unphased by the hostile gesture. His eyes stayed locked on the Atlesian general until the elevator doors slid closed. Eventually, Qrow turned his attention back to Oz, scoffing, “What the hell is his problem, anyway?”

Oz was unresponsive, the expression on his face unreadable, as he stood in front of his partner. He didn’t even know where to begin. Before the events of the day, the headmaster had imagined a much more amicable reunion, but sometimes expectations exist only to be squandered.

“What?” Qrow demanded. “You’re not mad, are you?”

“‘Disappointed’ might be more appropriate,” Oz clarified.

“Oh, come on, Oz! Ironwood is the one who got the council to turn on you!”

“And he did so because he thought it was the best course of action,” Oz explained. “I may not agree with his methods, but if there’s one thing I know about James it’s that his actions are always rooted in protecting the people. Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do?”

“I don’t give a damn about what he was _trying_ to do,” Qrow growled. “He went behind your back just to get what he wanted. Someone had to stand up to him!”

Oz snapped, “That was not your call to make!”

Clearly caught off guard, Qrow took a small step back in shock. It was obvious that Oz was on edge, but there was no reason to take it out on Qrow. The headmaster took a deep breath before calmly adding, “This dispute is between me and the general. Please.”

After a second, Qrow sighed, “Alright, fine. I’m sorry. I was just… angry.”

“I know,” Oz smiled, approaching his partner. “And I adore that passion of yours. May the gods have mercy on anyone who hurts those you love, Qrow Branwen.”

When he got within reach, Oz gently caressed Qrow’s face and pulled him in for a long ‘welcome home’ kiss. A kiss that Oz had been waiting three months for. A connection that he was so unbelievably relieved to feel again. As their lips parted, Oz whispered, “I’m just grateful to have you home.”

“Were you worried about me?” Qrow teased.

“You know I love you, but that is, undoubtedly, the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said to me,” Oz laughed before placing a kiss on Qrow’s forehead.

“I love you, too.”

~~~~~~~~~~

This was inevitable. Truly, it was. All the spying and secrecy in the world couldn’t have prevented this. It was evident that Salem had been planning something for decades, but Qrow could not have imagined that her plan would have been as devastating as this.

Grimm flooded Beacon’s campus, the White Fang stirred up trouble by transporting the monsters to the less accessible parts of the school, and the Fall Maiden-

_Fuck, the Fall Maiden._

Qrow and Glynda raced to Beacon Tower, praying to the gods that Oz was still safe and the relic was still in the vault. The hunters were relieved to find that their prayers had been answered. Whether or not things would stay that way was now up to them.

When they emerged from the elevator into Oz’s office, the immortal didn’t hesitate to give them his order. “Get to the city,” Oz commanded.

Qrow started to object, “But, Oz-”

“Go!”

Something about Oz’s command left a bad taste in Qrow’s mouth, but he didn’t complain. There was no time. Without another word, he turned around and got back in the elevator. The conversation happened so fast that the doors hadn’t closed yet.

As they descended the tower, Qrow couldn’t help but dwell on the terrible feeling he had, leaving Oz alone in the middle of this mess. But there had to be a reason for it. Oz had a plan, he always did. The headmaster wouldn’t send two of his best fighters away if he really needed their help. Wait, no. Hold on. Who was Qrow kidding? That’s exactly what Oz would do. He didn’t care about his own safety, he has no reason to. How can you fear death when you’ve faced it a hundred times? His friends, on the other hand- his partner- if they died, they’d be gone for good. Oz wouldn’t hesitate to send them out of the line of fire, even if it meant leaving himself vulnerable. And sure, Oz’s soul would reincarnate, but the person he was- the person Qrow loved- wouldn’t come back. If Qrow wasn’t there to protect him then… 

_What the fuck am I doing?_

The elevator doors parted, revealing the ground floor of the tower, but Qrow froze. Glynda stepped out and looked back at the huntsman expectantly.

“I can’t leave him,” Qrow said.

“Well, I’m glad we agree on something,” Glynda smirked. “Go.”

A grateful smile and a slight nod were the only response before Qrow pushed the button for the top floor. Once again, he ascended Beacon Tower, but this time, he was prepared to disobey his partner’s orders.

Unsurprisingly, Oz hadn’t moved much in the minute or so it took Qrow to return. The ding of the elevator quickly caught the headmaster’s attention. At the sound he questioned, more confused than angry, “Qrow? What are you-?”

“I’m not leaving you here,” Qrow insisted.

“You have to-”

“Goddamnit, Oz, we don’t have time for this!” Qrow snapped. “Salem isn’t just after the relic, she’s after _you_! I’m not leaving you to die!”

“This is my fight, Qrow,” Oz said. “I must take my stand alone.”

“But you don’t have to! Isn’t that the whole point of our little deal?”

Oz turned away. “This is different.”

“It’s not! Oz, please. I can’t sit back and watch. If I leave now how- how would I live with myself if…” he trailed off, the words stuck in his throat. The message, however, was crystal clear.

A moment of silence passed, but it felt like an eternity. Expecting to be reprimanded for returning, Qrow was shocked when Oz let out a sigh of resignation. “You’re not taking no for an answer, are you?”

“You know I can’t.”

Oz finally looked Qrow in the eyes again. Shaking his head in disapproval, the headmaster strolled over to the elevator. As he brushed past Qrow, Oz laid a hand on his chest and placed a quick kiss on his partner’s lips before swearing, “If you don’t survive this, I’ll never forgive you.”

“Right back at ya,” Qrow smiled.

Maybe Qrow was making a mistake. Maybe Oz was right. Maybe Qrow would end up dead. But that was a risk Qrow was willing to take. Oz still had a job to do and Qrow still needed to protect him. He’d be damned if he shirked that responsibility now.

As the couple stepped on to the elevator, Qrow realized he wasn’t exactly sure what Oz’s plan _was_. “Where are we going now?” he asked.

“To get our guardian,” Oz answered. “We have to find Ms. Nikos.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Finding Pyrrha was not as difficult as Oz was prepared for it to be. The young huntress was fending off Grimm, just outside of the tower. As soon as she saw the professor and his ‘trusted colleague’ emerge from the building she knew they were waiting for her. However, Oz was not expecting Mr. Arc to follow Pyrrha to the vault. It didn’t matter. He didn’t have time to object to Jaune’s presence. They had more urgent issues to worry about.

As the four of them ran through the vault, Oz heard Jaune ask in awe, “What is this place?”

“It’s… a type of vault,” Pyrrha answered sheepishly.

“You’ve been here before?” Jaune wondered, keeping pace with his teammate.

No response.

Jaune continued, “What would this school need to… hide?”

Finally, they reached the end of the long corridor, and Jaune stopped in his tracks, taken aback by the sight of the large contraption in front of him. As the only person in the room who had no idea what was going on, Jaune could only stutter, “What? Who?”

“Jaune-”

“Pyrrha! Get to the pod!” Oz urged. “Mr. Arc, if you’d like to help you can help Qrow stand guard here.”

Qrow planted himself in front of the pod that Amber occupied, while Jaune protected Pyrrha’s side of the machine.

“What do we do now?” Pyrrha asked.

“ _We_ do nothing,” Oz said bluntly. “But you, Ms. Nikos, have a choice to make.”

The pod clicked open. Pyrrha took a moment to contemplate her options. Her gaze drifted from the pod to Jaune then back to the pod. After a second, her mind was made up. Without a word, she climbed into the container and waited for Oz to start the power transfer process.

As the door locked into place, Oz asked, “Are you ready?”

Pyrrha’s only response was a confident nod, but that wasn’t enough.

“I-” Oz choked, “I need to hear you say it.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Ms. Nikos.”

A few taps of the screen was all it took to initiate the process. The tubes on the wall behind them started to illuminate, glowing the color of tree sap. As the energy flowed through the mechanisms, Pyrrha let out a bloodcurdling scream.

“Pyrrha!” Jaune yelled, turning around.

Oz wasn’t exactly sure what would happen after the power transfer was complete, but he felt a wave of guilt wash over him as Pyrrha writhed in pain. He never intended for it to happen this way.

“I’m… so sorry,” he whispered.

Suddenly, Qrow called out over his shoulder, “We’ve got company!”

Oz turned to see a woman in a red dress strutting towards them. “You again,” she said.

If Oz remembered correctly from Qrow’s most recent report, he had to assume he was looking at Cinder Fall.

“I should have killed you when our paths crossed before,” Cinder continued. “No matter. I always did believe in second chances.”

 _Qrow, please do not taunt the homicidal maniac,_ Oz pleaded silently.

“You’ll have to try harder this time around,” Qrow taunted the homicidal maniac.

_I ask too much of him._

Suddenly, Cinder reached behind her back and pulled out two swords. Apparently, she was done talking. Before Oz could object, Qrow charged their opponent, great sword in hand.

“Qrow, no!!!” Oz cried out.

_Clang._

The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated through the vault as Cinder blocked Qrow’s first maneuver.

_Clang._

Another failed attempt to deplete the woman’s aura.

_Clang._

With every collision, Qrow pushed Cinder farther and farther away from her target. Fed up with Qrow’s distraction game, Cinder used the fire dust in her clothes to send a slice of flames in the huntsman’s direction. The force of the blast pushed Qrow back, but he managed to stay on his feet. Distance didn’t really bother him. His weapon started to click and the blade folded on a slight angle. Qrow took aim, his sword pointed right as his target.

_Bang._

Cinder stumbled back a step, caught off guard by the power of the shot.

_Bang._

Another hit, but this time Cinder was prepared for the impact.

_Bang._

Anticipating another shot, Cinder nimbly duck-and-rolled out of the way. As Qrow lined up his next shot, Cinder launched a large ball of fire his way. It hit the huntsman square in the chest, sending him flying down the corridor. Harbinger clattered to the ground, Qrow was clearly in a daze. Cinder didn’t hesitate to send an identical blast barreling through the vault. A devastating blow it would have been, if Oz hadn’t intercepted it. The headmaster jumped in between Qrow and his attacker in the knick of time, twirling his cane out in front of him so fast that it acted as a fan, the flames dissipating on impact. After neutralizing the immediate threat, Oz flipped his weapon, now gripping it by the hilt in preparation for Cinder’s next move.

“Aw, isn’t that cute,” Cinder purred.

Out of the corner of his eye, Oz noticed Qrow grab his weapon and scramble to his feet.

“But the whole ‘self-sacrifice’ bit is a little cliche, don’t you think?” Cinder said with a crooked smile. “That’s fine. I’ll just kill him slowly while you watch. After I claim the power that’s rightfully mine, of course.”

As if on cue, the pod door popped open and Pyrrha spilled out. When she lifted her head, her left eye was glowing with the power of the Fall Maiden. Cinder’s glare narrowed as she recognized the other half of the power glistening in Pyrrha’s stare. Suddenly, Cinder raised her hand and took aim at Pyrrha and Jaune. A circle of energy manifested at their feet, and Qrow’s eyes went wide at the sight. He had seen this before.

“Move! Now!” Qrow warned.

The students dove to their right, escaping the violent explosion that erupted from the ground.

 _She had to use her semblance,_ Oz observed. _Is it possible that half of the powers aren't enough to use them?_

As soon as the kids were safe, Qrow turned his attention back to Cinder, charging her in an attempt to give Jaune and Pyrrha a chance to escape. Unfortunately, Pyrrha had a slightly different approach. Following Qrow’s lead, Pyrrha used her semblance to grab her weapon and shield and started to rush in to join the fight. Oz saw her coming out of the corner of his eye and threw a hand out just in time to stop her. “You two have to leave.”

“But we can help!” Pyrrha insisted.

“Absolutely not!” Oz snapped. “Her main objective is to steal the power of the Fall Maiden. The power that you now have half of. That means her new goal is… to kill you.”

A hand wrapped around Pyrrha’s arm, and she looked up to see that it was Jaune. The huntress in training turned her attention back to her headmaster, staring him down as if to say, “I can do this,” one last time.

Jaune agreed with the professor, “Come on, Pyrrha, we have to move!”

“Please, Ms. Nikos,” Oz pleaded. “Go.”

Finally conceding, Pyrrha nodded and took off running, Jaune right behind her. The most important objective now: distract Cinder until the kids get out of the vault safely.

Oz wasted no time, immediately going on the offensive. Seeing an opening, he charged in and delivered a flurry of attacks with his cane. His movements became a blur, leaving Cinder with no chance to parry them. A well placed final strike left Cinder stunned in pain. Qrow recognized the opportunity, capitalizing on it with one powerful swing of his great sword. The attack sent Cinder flying into the wall. She landed with a thud and quickly popped up to her hands and knees. As she tried to gain her wits, she realized who the guys were stalling for. Her eyes locked onto Pyrrha and Jaune who were now only a feet away from escaping.

In a last ditch effort to stop the new half-maiden, Cinder launched a powerful wave of fire down the vault using the dust in her clothes. Again, the fire wasn’t fast enough, and Oz caught up to it, practically teleporting to his students just in time to activate a magic barrier. The flames dissipated on impact with the green forcefield.

“Professor-” Pyrrha stuttered.

“Go!”

The pair scrambled toward the elevator. An almost feral growl ripped out of Cinder’s mouth as she charged Oz at full speed, furious that he thwarted her last chance to acquire the power she was so desperate to gain.

They sparred, their weapons clashing with unbelievable force. Oz was able to push her to the middle of the vault with no problem. One last powerful swing with his cane sent Cinder flying in Qrow’s direction. Qrow took over for a minute, getting parried by his opponent a couple times before landing three consecutive devastating blows, sending her flying yet again. Cinder was launched back to the end of the vault. She landed just shy of the aura transfer pods. Qrow and Oz didn’t hesitate to race after her, hoping to keep the momentum they had gathered. Before they could get within attacking distance, Cinder sent out one more wave of fire that emanated from all around her. The force caused Oz and Qrow to fly in opposite directions. Unfortunately, their enemy had one more dirty trick up her sleeve. As soons as the two men got to their feet, Cinder threw an ice dust cartridge at each of them. Now they stood frozen to the ground on either side of her.

Oz tried desperately to free himself using the Long Memory, but it wasn’t strong enough. It’s a weapon built for precision, not brute force. Qrow used Harbinger to chip away at the ice in a similar manner. It was a little more effective, but at the rate the ice was cracking, it would take him about half an hour to break through.

One thing was guaranteed: Cinder had the upper hand now. She relished the opportunity, staring Oz down as she activated her semblance. The ground beneath Oz’s feet ruptured. A deafening blast filled Oz’s ears as the area around him exploded violently. The headmaster was thrown against the wall. He landed hard and felt all of his energy drain at once, his aura depleted to zero with one flick of his opponent’s wrist.

“Oz!” Qrow yelled.

Frantically, the huntsman used what little magic he had in him to transform into his namesake. In his bird form, Qrow was able to escape the ice trap with ease.

Oz was still in a haze from the blast, but he was able to make out the image of Qrow sneaking up on Cinder. She hadn’t turned around at Qrow’s call, she was blissfully unaware that he was no longer frozen to the floor- or that he was no longer human, for that matter. The huntsman approached her in his animal form before reverting to the shape of a person and landing a final, powerful swing with Harbinger. Cinder’s aura shattered on impact with the sword, she flew across the vault yet again, only stopping when she slammed against the mechanisms of the machine. She landed like a ragdoll in an exhausted heap. It was impossible to tell if she was still conscious.

Gingerly, Oz got to his feet, using his cane as leverage. Qrow rushed over to help him and offered his arm as support.

“I’m fine,” Oz insisted.

“You don’t look fine to me,” Qrow said.

Oz gave him a side eyed glance before brushing it off. “Either way, we have more important business to attend to.”

Qrow nodded. Oz was right. They made their way over to Cinder, who was now lying face down, groaning in pain. As she lifted her head, she saw the fighters who just defeated her approaching. Cinder got to her hands and knees and lifted one of her swords to her chest, ready to attack if necessary. Qrow hefted Harbinger onto his shoulder to emphasize his next statement.

“I don’t think a round two would end very well for you, sweetheart.”

The only response was a silent snarl.

“Now, now, there’s no need for more violence. We wish to make a peace offering,” Oz promised.

Qrow raised an eyebrow, “We do?”

“ _Yes_ , we do.”

Oz knelt down so that he could address Cinder without looming over her like a villain.

“I know how Salem operates,” he continued. “She makes many promises. Promises she has no true intention of keeping.”

“You know nothing about her,” Cinder spat.

“I know her better than you’d think. I also know that she doesn’t take too kindly to people who fail her. Which leaves you in a rather unfavorable position.”

Again, they were met with silence. Cinder only glared at him as if she was trying to intimidate him into getting to the point.

“Maybe we can help each other,” Oz summarized.

The headmaster stretched out his hand, offering to help his fallen foe to her feet.

“I’d rather die than accept help from the likes of you.”

In one swift motion, Cinder grabbed Oz’s hand and pulled him into her sword. The blade penetrated Oz’s lower left abdomen, the pain left him breathless.

“NO!!!!!!” Qrow shouted.

Qrow didn’t hesitate to return the favor. In an instant, his great sword was thrust into Cinder’s chest. The life drained out of her eyes as she released the sword in her hand, causing it to clatter onto the floor. When Qrow pulled his weapon free Cinder crumpled to the ground. A pool of blood started to grow from the wound that now split her chest.

A ball of light emanated from her corpse before the energy launched into the sky, disappearing into the high ceiling of the vault- the power of the Fall Maiden.

_Pyrrha._

Qrow was too focused on Oz to notice anything else. He quickly put Harbinger away and knelt down in front of his partner as he carefully inspected the gash that was left. Oz was losing a lot of blood, fast.

Through broken breaths Oz managed to chuckle, “I guess she wasn’t in the mood to negotiate.”

“You couldn’t just kill her when you had the chance, huh?” Qrow sighed.

“No, I couldn’t,” Oz admitted, lowering his head.

Every breath became harder to take in. A sharp pain shot through his side with every inhale.

“Save your breath,” Qrow instructed. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Qrow positioned himself under Oz’s right arm and lifted his partner off the floor. Oz tried to use his cane as support on the other side. Even with the Long Memory relieving some of the pressure, most of Oz’s weight fell on Qrow’s left shoulder. The couple slowly made their way toward the elevator, although ‘slow’ doesn’t really do their pace justice. It was, quite possibly, the longest walk of Oz’s life.

“That ridiculous weapon of yours finally coming in handy,” Qrow laughed.

“What makes you think-” Oz winced from the pain “-this is the first time I’ve needed it?”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop talking?”

“If you stopped making asinine comments-” another wince “-then I wouldn’t have to talk.”

“Ok, I deserved that.”

Finally, they made it to the elevator. The doors slid open and they stepped inside. Unfortunately, standing still only made things worse. It gave Oz time to realize just how exhausted he really was.

“Come on, Oz. Stay with me. We’re almost out,” Qrow muttered, over and over. It may have been for himself as much as it was for Oz.

When the elevator doors opened again, an eerie silence filled the air. The tower was empty. They could only hope that the students had been safely evacuated.

They finally emerged from the tower and were met with a rather unsettling sight. The wyvern Grimm, which Oz hadn’t encountered in almost a century, stood looming over the courtyard, but there was one glaring difference in its appearance: it was frozen in stone.

“Silver eyes,” Oz gasped, barely audible.

_Ruby._

The headmaster spotted his niece collapsed right in front of the wyvern. Weiss Schnee was at her side, trying to wake her up. The energy she expelled while using her mysterious power must have been too much. To make matters worse, it appeared that the Grimm didn’t plan on staying stuck for long. Pieces of the stone were beginning to crack. The monster’s eyes and parts of it’s back were already visible again.

Oz’s strength was starting to give out. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to stay conscious himself. In his incaptacitated state, he was just able to make out the sound of two familiar voices locked in a major disagreement.

“I’m not sure if I can!” a female voice cried out.

“Pyrrha, you _have to_. We’re out of options!”

“I don’t even know how these powers work! What if someone gets hurt?!”

Oz quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for the source of the voices. When he spotted his students standing about twenty feet away, he used what was left of his strength to call out, “Ms. Nikos!” The new maiden turned at the sound of her headmaster’s voice. “We chose you for a reason. I believe now more than ever that we made the right decision. I know you can do this. You have to.”

Pyrrha closed her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek. The wyvern wasn’t going to stay trapped forever. They were running out of time.

The huntress-in-training took a deep breath before turning around and approaching the monstrosity that stood before her. As she planted herself in front of her target, Pyrrha summoned her newly acquired power. An orb of flames started spinning rapidly around her, the wind started to pick up and her hair became stiff from the force. She stretched one hand out in front of her and took aim at the Grimm who wreaked so much havoc on the school. Her hand started to glow as she gathered the energy. Suddenly, she thrust her hand forward, causing all of the energy to be released. A wave of flames larger than the target engulfed everything in its path. The wyvern screamed and roared as it slowly burned to a crisp. After a moment, all that was left was rubble and ashes.

As the flames died down, Pyrrha started to waiver, her knees started to shake. Jaune was able to catch her just before she collapsed onto the ground. Clearly, she was also not expecting to waste all of her stamina with one attack. With two unconscious teenagers and one professor who was so injured he couldn’t stand on his own, the group desperately needed a way out of Beacon.

“Quick, if we hurry we can make it on the next transport shuttle out of here!” Jaune shouted.

That’s right, Oz had completely forgotten about the evacuation protocol. Maybe they would escape this miserable endeavor after all.

Jaune hoisted Pyrrha up, carrying her bridal style as he made a break for the shuttle. The rest of Team JNPR helped Weiss carry an unconscious Ruby, while Qrow and Oz trudged along the same way they had left the vault. This walk, however, was much shorter.

When they finally made it on board, Qrow gently lowered Oz into his seat. Qrow then took the seat to his partner’s left. Even the dark colors of Oz’s clothes couldn’t mask the fact that his whole left side was now caked in blood. Qrow pressed on the wound after taking another look at it. Oz flinched.

“Sorry. I know it hurts,” Qrow whispered. “Stay with me.”

Oz was too weak to respond.

 _I’m not going anywhere,_ he wanted to say.

The headmaster’s gaze shifted from Qrow to the other passengers. Most of them were students, some simply looked exhausted, others were clearly injured or still in shock.

Tears streamed down Weiss’ face as she held on to an unconscious Ruby. Blake and Yang were clinging to each other. It seemed that Blake also had a gash in her side, and Yang… oh gods. Was she missing an arm? Oz had to look away.

“Stay with me, Oz. Stay with me. You’re gonna be fine...”

Qrow’s voice started to fade into the background, like the volume of a radio being slowly reduced to zero. Oz’s vision started to blur. He could no longer make out the details of Qrow’s face, his pale red eyes becoming blank white orbs as Oz’s will power failed him. It wasn’t enough to stay awake.

As he started to nod off, giving in to the exhaustion that plagued him, one thought replayed in the headmaster’s mind, like a broken record with a needle that was stuck on the turntable. No matter what he did, he couldn’t turn it off.

 _This is all my fault._

_This is all my fault._

_This is…_

Then his vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just write a 20,000+ word fic to propose the idea that if Oz and Qrow had actually been together then the Fall of Beacon wouldn't have been as devastating as it was? Yes, yes I did. Do I regret it? No, not at all.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! All feedback is appreciated! Stay safe, everyone! XD


	10. Not a Bond of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes family is found, not forced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even gonna be humble about it: I love this chapter. I've been dying to write most of these scenes forever and I'm proud of how they came out. I hope you enjoy them, too XD

_This is all my fault._

_This is all my fault._

_I’m sorry, Oz._

Qrow stared at his partner’s calm face, unable to tear his eyes away. Oz was fast asleep, a peaceful yet neutral expression set in his features. A peacefulness which served as a drastic juxtaposition to the circumstances that landed Oz in the hospital in the first place.

As Qrow sat at Oz’s bedside, his fingers interlaced with those of his sleeping partner, his mind drifted back to the events of the night before. One moment in particular was stuck on repeat. Again and again, he watched Oz kneel down to offer Cinder a second chance. Again and again, she exploited his kindness, using his already outstretched hand to pull him into the blade of her sword. Again and again, Qrow remembered that all he did was stand by and watch.

_I should have killed her sooner._

The only comfort Qrow had while waiting for his partner to wake up was watching the rise and fall of Oz’s chest. The repetitive, almost hypnotic movement actually _meant_ something. It meant that Oz was breathing. It meant he was alive. Thank the gods, he was alive.

_No thanks to me._

Maybe Qrow could have prevented this if he had just done something. Maybe if he had acted more strategically during the fight, thought faster when he was trapped in the ice, or done even one thing different- just maybe- Oz wouldn’t be here. Maybe Oz would be awake and unharmed, he’d be able to assure Qrow that everything was going to be alright. Maybe Oz wouldn’t have been on the verge of bleeding out in Qrow’s arms as he rushed him to a hospital on the east side of Vale. If only he had done something different, maybe then Qrow would have succeeded in doing his damn job.

_I’m sorry, Oz._

Suddenly, exhaustion started to set in. It occurred to Qrow that he’d been awake for almost twenty four hours- the longest twenty four hours of his life, no doubt. To remedy that, he leaned back in the uncomfortable visitor’s chair one of the nurses had brought him. Still holding Oz’s hand, the huntsman finally started to doze off in a position that was guaranteed to leave his neck sore when he awoke.

On the brink of falling asleep, Qrow felt Oz’s hand squeeze with the slightest amount of pressure. Immediately, Qrow was jolted awake. He remained silent as he sat forward in his chair. He waited. He could only hope that he didn’t imagine the feeling of his partner coming back to life.

Finally, Oz’s eyes fluttered open. “Qrow…”

“Oh, thank the gods, you’re awake!” Qrow exclaimed. He lifted Oz’s hand to his lips, kissing it lightly.

Oz scanned his surroundings, the fact that he was in the hospital registering in his mind in real time. His eyes went wide as he realized the absence of certain people. “The students, are they-”

“They’re fine. Everyone’s safe,” Qrow quickly reassured. “All you have to worry about is recovering.”

A weak smile replaced Oz’s expression of concern. Qrow returned the smile before gingerly reaching out and caressing Oz’s face. As Oz leaned into the touch, Qrow stood up and bent over, pressing his forehead against his partner’s. It was the only way Qrow knew how to be comforting. Gods knew he had no idea what to say. The two held the position for several moments, both of them grateful the other was alive, their presence enough to calm them down.

Qrow started to feel tears well up, but he choked them back. He wasn’t the one in the hospital bed, Oz was. Qrow had no right to cry. All Qrow wanted to do was take all of Oz’s pain away, even if it meant he had to bear it himself. He would have traded places with the injured man in a heartbeat.

The silence was finally broken when Qrow croaked, “I’m so sorry, Oz.”

“What?” Oz pulled away from his partner’s touch, completely caught off guard by the apology. “What could you possibly have to apologize for?”

Qrow opened his mouth to answer, but the words died on his lips. The dam broke. Tears rapidly rolled down Qrow’s cheeks. Oz used his thumb to gently wipe his partner’s tears away. A gesture that always meant “please don’t cry, everything’s going to be fine.” But Qrow couldn’t allow himself to believe that.

“Please, Qrow, I beg you not to blame yourself for this,” Oz continued. “You did everything you could, I-”

“Not everything,” Qrow shook his head, his eyes squeezing shut. His voice strained as he refused to let himself break down completely. Weakly, he went on, “I could have escaped the ice sooner, I could have listened to you when you told me to leave, I could have killed that bitch before she-”

Qrow wasn’t prepared to be cut off, but he welcomed the method Oz chose. As their lips met, Qrow completely forgot what he was saying. His worries melted away, if only for a moment, as he held his partner’s lips in his. Finally, Oz pulled away.

“Please. Don’t,” Oz pleaded, his hand now caressing Qrow’s cheek.

“Don’t what?” Qrow demanded, breathless.

“Do not play this game of ‘what if,’ Qrow,” Oz elaborated. “You’ll only drive yourself insane.”

“But, my semblance- if I wasn’t _there_ , you wouldn’t be _here_.”

“You can’t honestly believe that,” Oz wondered, dropping his hand.

“What do you mean?”

“Qrow, please.” Oz paused so he could slowly adjust his position. Sitting up and sliding over, he patted the space he left open next to him, indicating he wanted Qrow to sit with him. His partner obliged. Oz continued, “We’ve had this conversation before. I will repeat it as many times as you need to hear it. Your semblance is not responsible for the actions of others. Bad luck does not explain another human’s free and willing decision to harm someone. In the simplest possible terms: _this is not your fault_.”

Qrow didn’t respond. Unable to accept the man’s logic as absolution of his guilt, the huntsman turned his gaze to the floor.

Oz added, “In fact, if anyone here is to blame, it’s me.”

Qrow’s attention snapped back to his partner.

“Oz, don’t say that,” Qrow insisted. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I _should_ have known,” Oz corrected. “Salem was too quiet for too long. I should have known that she was planning something.”

“You’re immortal, not omniscient,” Qrow shrugged.

A smile played at Oz’s lips. 

“Cut yourself some slack.”

“I wish it were that simple,” Oz croaked.

_Oh, shit. Now he’s crying._

Returning the favor, Qrow carefully wiped Oz’s tears away. As he did so, he tried to look on the brightside. “Simple or not, you did at least one thing right.”

Oz offered a questioning expression in response.

“You stopped her, Oz,” Qrow smiled. “The relic is safe, the school can be rebuilt, and, well... most importantly, you’re still breathing.”

For some reason, the tears started falling a little faster.

_Fuck. Why do I even bother?_

Instead of trying to fix his mistake, Qrow decided to play it safe. He was never very good with words, but most of the time comforting physical contact was enough to calm Oz down. Qrow gingerly slid into the hospital bed next to Oz, careful not to aggravate the wound on his partner’s left side. As soon as he did so, Oz grabbed onto Qrow for dear life and buried his face in Qrow’s shirt. Just like when Oz woke up from his nightmares, all Qrow could do was hold him until he settled down.

A few minutes passed in silence. Only Oz’s soft sobbing and the occasional shaky breath interrupted the otherwise stagnant environment. Eventually, the tears stopped flowing and Oz’s breathing steadied. With puffy eyes, Oz lifted his head to look at his partner’s face as he said, “Honestly, I’m just glad _you_ survived.”

Qrow couldn’t help but smile, “Right back at ya.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Five days passed without incident. 

Qrow made sure to keep Glynda updated on the headmaster’s condition as he recovered. Restoration of the school was already underway, with the headmistress leading the charge. Glynda and the other professors were working around the clock to clear out the rest of the Grimm and fix the property damage that was done. The fire damage was going to be a headache to repair, but no one was really complaining, given the alternative. For now, Beacon Academy was on a year long hiatus while the school administration regrouped.

After Oz’s aura replenished he was able to make a quick recovery. The headmaster was quite restless after being trapped in a hospital room for the better part of a week. In an effort to get back out into the world, Qrow and Oz decided to visit the Xiao Long-Rose household. Due to Oz’s condition, they were unable to check on the girls until now, and a visit seemed well overdue.

Qrow was surprised to learn that _all_ of Team RWBY was staying with the Xiao Long-Rose family while the school underwent repairs. Apparently, the team had even stayed together over summer break. The four teammates seemed to be joined at the hip- maybe more literally than Qrow originally thought. 

When Qrow and Oz arrived they immediately went upstairs to Ruby’s bedroom. Unsurprisingly, they found Weiss glued to their niece’s side, her hand resting gently on top of Ruby’s. The sight gave Qrow flashbacks.

“Hey, Ice Princess,” Qrow greeted teasingly.

Weiss turned to look at them as they stood in the doorway, her usual exasperated sigh nowhere to be found. She stared at them with lifeless eyes. It was almost unnerving. 

The couple stepped into the room, Oz pulling up an extra seat next to Weiss, Qrow still standing as he hovered over his niece’s bedside.

“How’s she doing?” Qrow finally asked.

“She hasn’t moved since we brought her back,” Weiss answered, her voice just above a whisper. “Honestly? I’m not sure how she’s doing...”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Qrow promised. “There’s no doubt in my mind. She'll wake up soon.”

Weiss nodded, her expression remained stoic. She heard him, but she didn’t believe him. Qrow understood. If someone had told him the same thing while he was waiting for Oz to wake up he probably would have reacted the exact same way, if not a tad ruder.

Oz leaned forward in his chair, trying to read Weiss’ reaction. “And how are _you_ feeling?” he asked.

A second passed in silence. It was clear that Weiss hadn’t taken any time to consider her own feelings. As soon as she was prompted to, her anxieties came flooding out all at once. Instead of giving an audible answer, the heiress put her head in her hands. A sob suddenly escaped her throat. In an attempt to be comforting, Oz lightly placed his hand on Weiss’ shoulder. That was all it took for her to break down. The crying became louder. She sat up and leaned against Oz as he fully wrapped his arm around her.

As Oz sat holding Weiss, Qrow couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. He knew what Weiss was going through, except her situation was admittedly worse. At least Oz woke up the next morning. Ruby had been out for five days. With every day that passed, the hope that Ruby would be okay felt like it was slowly retreating. Qrow wanted to say something, anything that would make Weiss feel better, but he couldn’t find the words. He was grateful when Tai beckoned him into the hallway. It gave him a legitimate reason to duck out.

“Is she ok?” Tai asked quietly, hoping Weiss wouldn’t overhear.

“I think she will be,” Qrow guessed, matching Tai’s volume.

“She hasn’t left Ruby’s side since they came back,” Tai explained. “I had to bring her food just to get her to eat. Had to convince her that Ruby wasn’t going anywhere just to get her to take a nap. I’m worried about her.”

“Right now, the only thing that’ll make her feel better is Ruby waking up.”

“Wouldn’t that make us all feel better?”

“Yeah, it would.”

Tai sighed, “We do have one more problem to deal with.”

Qrow raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Jacques Schnee is currently sitting in my family room, and I want him gone.”

“He’s here for his daughter.”

“I told him I’d talk to her, but seeing her now I don’t know if she’s up for it. I was hoping you’d be able to help me talk some sense into him, get him to let her stay.”

“Tai, this is Jacques fucking Schnee we’re talking about. What makes you think he’d listen to either of us?”

“You got a better suggestion, I’m all ears.”

Qrow sighed and turned his attention back to Weiss. She was a wreck right now. And it was common knowledge that her dad wasn’t exactly the most affectionate man in Remnant. Having to deal with her father’s judgement was the last thing this kid needed.

For better or worse, Qrow wasn’t able to make a decision. Being the entitled prick that he was, Jacques Schnee stomped up the stairs, demanding to see his daughter. Without acknowledging Qrow or Tai, the infamous businessman stormed into Ruby’s room, barking, “Weiss! Finally, I’ve been held up by these-” his tone softened as soon as he set eyes on the headmaster of Beacon Academy “-gentlemen since I arrived.”

Weiss instantly popped up out of her seat at the sound of her father’s voice- his presence enough to snap her out of her melancholy state in a flash. “Father?! What’re you _doing_ here?”

The heiress frantically wiped away her tears as her dad approached her.

“I’ve come to take you home, back to Atlas,” Jacques stated matter of factly. 

As the conversation continued, Oz silently stood up and positioned himself just behind the young huntress in training, the Long Memory unactivated in his hand.

Weiss muttered under her breath, “That’s not my home anymore…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, we were very worried about you when you didn’t respond to my calls. I won’t have my daughter staying here, in _Vale_ , where it’s not safe.”

“I can’t just leave… not now…” her voice trailed off, her eyes instinctively shifted to Ruby.

_Uh oh._

Now her father had some ammo.

“...Ah. I see. We can deal with the issue of your _relations_ to this girl when we get back home.”

“Issue?!” Weiss snapped. “My happiness is an _issue_ to you?!”

“Of course not,” Jacques fumbled, “but I can’t have you running around with anyone I don’t approve of, now can I? What kind of father would I be---”

“What kind of father?!” Weiss screamed. “When have you _ever_ been my _father_?! You don’t actually care about me, you only care about your company, _Jacques_!”

Weiss held her ground, but she definitely struck the wrong chord. Her father’s facial expression contorted, flashing from confusion to disgust to pure anger in milliseconds. The man must have forgotten that there were other people in the room because he raised an open hand. Weiss knew what was coming. She turned her cheek and closed her eyes, bracing for the sting of a slap. That was all Oz needed to see.

Qrow didn’t even register Oz’s movements. Instantly, the headmaster was standing in front of Weiss, his weapon fully extended as Jacques Schnee launched across the room, through the door, and slammed against the wall in the hallway. It was a rare thing for Oz to become that angry. His intense glare quickly morphed into a devilish smile as he admired his own handiwork.

 _Yeah, ok, it’s official,_ Qrow thought to himself. _That’s my future husband._

Jacques shook off the haziness before slowly getting to his feet. Anger etched into his face, Jacques was ready to charge in and take his daughter home by force, but Tai and Qrow had other ideas. They sidestepped in front of the door, blocking off Jacques’s entrance. 

“I think it’s time for you to go, Schnee,” Qrow said, adding the last name like it was a curse word.

“I second that,” Tai demanded. “Get out.”

For a moment, Jacques looked past them, not paying the two huntsmen any mind. He jabbed an accusatory finger in Oz’s direction and spat, “ _You_ will be hearing from my lawyers.”

A genuine grin on his face, Oz simply put his weapon down and rested his hands on its hilt saying, “I look forward to it.”

The affluent Atlesian let out an angry scoff before stomping off.

Weiss also couldn’t hide a smile. “Thank you, Professor.”

“Please, Weiss. After the events of today we can forego the formalities,” Oz assured. “We’re family, now.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The couple ended up staying at the Xiao Long-Rose residence for most of the day. Weiss was not in a mental state suitable for being alone so Tai, Qrow, and Oz rotated in keeping her company. Both Qrow and Oz also made sure to check on Yang and Blake every once in a while. Although the two of them were faring much better than Weiss. At least they were both conscious.

The pair finally walked through the door of their apartment at around ten o’clock at night. After the week he had, Oz was more than grateful to be home.

Without being prompted, Qrow immediately went to the kitchen. It took a moment for Oz to realize what his partner was doing. As he took a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen counter, Oz surprised himself when a thought popped into his head.

_I would never do it myself, but if Qrow proposed I would absolutely say yes._

However, he quickly shook the thought from his mind. The odds of that happening were slim to none. It was just a pipe dream.

Eventually, Qrow placed a steaming mug of hot cocoa on the counter in front of his partner. Oz smiled and wrapped his hands around the ceramic as he said, “You didn’t have to make it for me, you know.”

Qrow shrugged, “Yeah, yeah, I know. But I wanted to. So I did.”

“Thank you,” Oz said. He could feel himself blushing. “This might be the highlight of my day.”

Qrow laughed, “Really? Because I think the highlight of _my_ day was when you handed Jacques Schnee his ass on a silver platter.”

Oz hesitated, “Yes, well, that… was a lot more satisfying than I’d care to admit.”

“I could’ve told you that. It was written all over your face.”

“Guilty as charged,” Oz said, smiling into his mug as he took a sip.

“In your defense,” Qrow added, “it was just as fun to watch.”

“Glad I could be of service.”

There was an awkward pause before Qrow changed the subject. “Funny you should say that because… I uh- I think it also helped me figure something out.”

The tone shift was palpable.

“Really? And what’s that?” Oz wondered.

“I realized that I have something important to ask you…”

Qrow’s hand disappeared behind the counter as he pulled something out of his pocket. Oz’s eyes went wide as he realized what Qrow was about to ask. The small, square, black jewelry box that Qrow was now fidgeting with was a dead giveaway. 

_Oh my gods, he’s really going to do it._

Oz waited anxiously as his partner continued, “This isn’t exactly how I pictured doing this. Believe it or not I had a whole thing planned. A night out that would end on the cliff where- well, you know- where our first date ended… But, uh- I don’t think I can wait another day without knowing your answer so… here goes nothing.”

One more deep breath kept Oz waiting. The anticipation was killing him.

“The truth is I never thought I’d get to ask this question,” Qrow admitted. “It's not easy to find someone who’s willing to put up with me on a daily basis.”

Oz shook his head and smiled. Even in this context Qrow was being self deprecating.

_There’s something to be said for consistency._

Qrow returned the smile as he went on, “Then you”- his throat caught for a second -“you add my semblance into the mix and I- I thought there was no way I’d find someone who could handle putting up with me _and_ a curse. And yet somehow, I found you. Despite everything that’s happened and everything I put you through… you never left. You uh- you never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself… It’s almost as if- I don’t know- like meeting you was the best luck of my life.”

Shaking his head, Qrow blinked, “That was stupid. I should’ve written this down.”

“No, it was perfect,” Oz chuckled. “Go on.”

“So…” Qrow said slowly, “I guess this is the part”- he flipped open the lid of the jewelry box to reveal a silver ring with a ruby red stripe around it -“where I ask you to marry me…”

Of course, Oz didn’t have to think about his answer, but he was such a mess that he couldn’t even stammer out a simple ‘yes.’ He never thought he’d ever be asked this question as his life sort of revolved around stopping Salem. Who has time to start a family when you have to protect humanity from an immortal being hell bent on destroying the world?

However, now that her plan was blown to bits, Salem had become practically irrelevant. Sure she wasn't gone, but without the Fall Maiden she’d been set back by at least a few decades. Oz was a little more free. Finally, he managed to shake himself out of his stupor and answer.

“Nothing would make me happier.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Have I thought about _what_???”

Qrow seemed to be beside himself, like he couldn’t believe what he just heard. In Qrow’s defense, the question Oz had sprung on him was far from casual.

“I’m just wondering,” Oz added innocently.

Qrow was standing at the kitchen sink, finishing up what was left of the night’s dishes. Since he had done his part already, Oz was leaning against the counter next to the sink watching as Qrow did his. The water from the faucet continued to run as Qrow stopped what he was doing and stared at his partner in shock. “I can’t believe you’re thinking about this,” he finally answered.

“If I’m being honest, until now I never thought it’d be possible.”

“Oh yeah? And what changed?” Qrow asked, flicking the water off and grabbing a hand towel.

“Well, for one.” Oz simply held up his left hand allowing the engagement ring Qrow put on his finger to do the talking.

“Okay…” Qrow said, acknowledging the gesture. He dried his hands and threw the towel on the counter before wondering, “Is there a two?”

Oz hesitated. Now didn’t seem like the right time to say, “Well, Salem is immortal, too, so I’ve done all I can in this life, really,” but technically that _was_ the reason. A vague explanation would have to suffice.

“I suppose I’m just tired of putting my life on hold because of…” he trailed off while waving his hand around as if to suggest, “you know, that thing I’m always worried about.”

“Right…” Qrow answered slowly. He got the gist.

“So?” Oz reiterated.

“‘So’ what?”

“You never answered the question, darling.”

Qrow leaned against the counter behind him before sighing, “I- I guess the short answer is ‘no.’”

“‘No, you don’t want’ to or ‘no, you haven’t thought about it’?”

“I never _let_ myself think about it…”

“How come?” Oz asked, expecting to know the answer.

Qrow laughed without humor, “Me, raising a child? That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“I have to disagree.”

“Of course you do,” Qrow scoffed as he turned away. 

“Qrow, look at me.”

Begrudgingly, Qrow listened.

“Believe it or not you’ve done this before and you’ve been doing it for years,” Oz explained. “Or have you forgotten about your relationship with Ruby and Yang?”

“Sure, but that’s different,” Qrow insisted, shaking his head. “I didn’t have to raise them myself.”

“Yourself?” Oz repeated indignantly.

“You know what I mean, Oz. They’re my nieces, not my kids,” Qrow clarified. “I’m just not cut out to be a dad.”

“Do you really believe that? Or is this about something else?”

Silence.

“This is about your semblance again, isn’t it?”

“No shit, Oz. When is it not?”

Lazily, Qrow pushed himself away from the counter. With his hands behind his head, he started to walk away. The man looked absolutely defeated. Oz couldn’t blame him. They’d talked about Qrow’s semblance hundreds of times before. It managed to seep its way into every major decision they’ve ever made- just like Qrow feared it would. But Oz was determined to ensure that it didn’t make any decision for them.

Unable to sit by and passively watch his fiance toil with this dilemma alone, Oz followed closely behind him. Qrow stopped dead in his tracks when he felt Oz’s arms wrap around his waist. The headmaster laid a soft kiss on Qrow’s cheek before saying, “You already know what I’m going to say.”

Oz assumed that Qrow was tired of hearing his “your semblance doesn’t scare me” speech. No need to repeat it.

Qrow let out a small laugh at his partner’s predictability. “Yeah, I do.”

Awkwardly, Qrow bent his arm over his shoulder to hold Oz’s face. He had to crane his neck to return the cheek kiss. When his neck returned to a natural position, Qrow left his hand where it was, lightly pressing Oz’s cheek against his own as they kept talking.

“Can I ask you something?” Oz asked respectfully.

An audible answer wasn’t offered. Qrow simply perked his head up and waited for the question.

“What would your answer be if you didn’t have to worry about a curse?”

“That’s easy,” Qrow admitted. “I’d say yes.”

Oz lifted his head off Qrow’s shoulder. “Then say yes,” he suggested, as if it were just that simple.

Qrow huffed, “Wow, why the fuck didn’t I think of that?”

The huntsman stepped out of his partner’s arms and started to walk away again.

Oz quickly grabbed his hand. “Qrow, please. Come here.”

Qrow rolled his eyes as an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. Regardless of how tired he was, he didn’t resist when Oz spun him around and pulled him in close again, ensuring that they were facing each other this time. The headmaster pressed his forehead against Qrow’s and finally his partner conceded. Draping his arms around Oz’s neck, Qrow stayed there as his fiance finished the point he was in the middle of articulating.

“What I was _trying_ to say is: your semblance doesn’t have to control your life. Your decisions- your _actions_ \- are still yours.”

“My actions don’t matter if bad luck ruins everything I touch,” Qrow shot back.

Oz lifted his head and looked his partner in the eyes. With a crooked smile he teased, “Everything you touch, hm? Does that mean I’ve been ruined?”

Qrow managed to laugh, “You are _such_ an ass.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Qrow’s smile widened, if only for a second, before slowly transitioning back to a neutral expression, the reality of what they were discussing coming back to him. 

Oz returned the smile as he brushed Qrow’s hair out of his face. Satisfied with how Qrow’s hair was situated, Oz slid his hand down to the side of Qrow’s neck where his hand remained as his thumb rhythmically rubbed Qrow’s cheek.

“All joking aside,” Oz continued, “I would hardly classify the things your semblance has significantly affected as ‘everything.’ At the very worst, if you are right- which I still don’t think you are- then the worst that happened is my condition after the events of the Vytal Festival.”

Qrow’s eyes went wide. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?? You almost died, Oz!”

“First of all,” Oz added quickly, “I’m going to emphasize just how much I believe that what happened had nothing to do with bad luck.”

“Yeah, alright, I get it.”

“But, second of all- and most importantly- I’m still here. Do you know why?”

Qrow’s concerned look softened. He waited for Oz to answer his own question. It was clear he had no clue where his partner was going with this.

“Because you were there to take care of me,” Oz elaborated.

Qrow blinked, “I- what?”

“You got me out of the vault. You got me to the hospital. You kept me safe, Qrow. And here I am. _That_ is why I’m not worried about your semblance.”

“Why?” Qrow asked slowly, as if he didn’t quite see the connection.

“Because if your semblance is there to curse us, then you’ll be there to protect us.”

Qrow laughed, his voice trembling like he was on the verge of tears. “Fuck, how is it that you always know the right thing to say?”

“I’ve had quite a few years of practice, love,” Oz smiled.

Qrow rolled his eyes before sarcastically saying, “Oh, the ‘immortal’ card. Never would have guessed that.”

Laughter filled the air between them as Oz continued to rub Qrow’s cheek with his thumb. As silence fell, Oz searched his future husband’s pale red eyes for an answer. Finally, he conceded trying to read Qrow’s mind and prompted, “So?”

Qrow took a shaky breath, his response barely above a whisper. “Ok. Let’s look into adoption.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Best. Luck. Of. His. Life. Don't @ me. They deserve HAPPINESS GODDAMNIT XD.
> 
> Just a heads up: I'm not sure when the next update will be. I am hoping to continue a once a week schedule until I finish this fic but my fall semester starts next week and I return to work the week after so I make no promises.
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed, all feedback is appreciated, and I hope you're all safe! Thank you for reading :)


	11. 'Til Death Do Us Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a proper summary for this chapter. It's just the wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was. Not. Planned. So guess what? I had to add another one XD we're up to thirteen and I'm confident it will _stay_ at thirteen, but I have been wrong before lol. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the ball of fluff this chapter ended up being :)
> 
> **Reminder** ~~that I keep forgetting to add~~ : for updates on this story and drabbles set in this AU you can follow me on Tumblr @rwby-teamrwby-leaderruby! Ok, that is all XD

Oz wasn’t sure he was ready to have this conversation. Looking at the eight students gathered before him, he was suddenly feeling very anxious about revealing the true cause of the Battle of Beacon. However, he couldn’t let his fear get the best of him. They deserved to know, and he had to be the one to tell them.

The headmaster had asked teams RWBY and JNPR to meet with him at the Xiao Long-Rose household so they could discuss the events that transpired two weeks ago. With the school still undergoing reconstruction, Ruby and Yang’s residence was the best place for them to meet away from prying eyes.

Now that Ruby had made a full recovery and the dust had settled it was time to clear the air.

The living room felt smaller than normal with so many people occupying it. Ruby and Weiss sat on the sofa next to Ren and Nora. Meanwhile, Yang and Blake had opted for sitting on the floor, even though there was an open armchair behind them and plenty of room on the couch. The only couple standing were Pyrrha and Jaune, who already knew most of what was going on but were prepared to hear more. 

As Oz sat in an armchair in front of his students with their undivided attention, his hands started to tremble. If he didn’t have his hands resting on the hilt of his cane, the trembling might have been noticeable. And if he didn’t have the support of the crow that was resting on his right shoulder, he may not have been able to get a single word out.

A little support was all he needed.

“Thank you all for being here,” Oz greeted. “I know these past two weeks have not been easy for any of you. For that, I wish to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Ruby wondered aloud.

“Why would you need to apologize?” Weiss echoed.

Oz hesitated, “Because, well, I… should have done more to prevent this.”

A loud _squawk_ of disagreement interrupted the conversation. The bird could not let that comment fly.

Oz was about to continue when he felt the bird’s head softly brush up against his cheek a few times. It was _very_ distracting. Apparently, it wasn’t only distracting to Oz.

“Professor… if I may?” Jaune raised his hand. “W-Why is there a bird on your shoulder?”

“Patience, Mr. Arc. I promise I’ll get there,” Oz insisted as he started petting the bird with his finger, indicating to the corvid that he got the message. The headmaster continued, “For now, I have a question for you all: what’s your favorite fairytale?”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Soooooo, essentially what you’re saying is the relic is safe, the school is being rebuilt, and Pyrrha is now a maiden?” Ruby summarized.

Oz nodded, “If you want to boil it down to the simplest possible terms, I suppose that is accurate.”

“You left out the part about Uncle Oz being an immortal wizard,” Yang added nonchalantly.

“Oh yeah! How could I forget that?”

Blake shook her head, “And yet somehow that is not the most bizarre thing we learned today.”

“I still don’t understand something,” Weiss admitted.

“What’s that?” Oz asked.

“Why tell us this?” the heiress asked. “I mean, if everything is going to go back to normal in a year why bother telling us _any of this_?”

Oz sighed heavily, “To be honest, I planned on telling you upon graduation. However, after the events of the Vytal Festival I felt I had an obligation to fill you in now. You all fought valiantly to protect your friends, your classmates, your school, and your city. I felt it was only fair that you learn _why_ you were fighting in the first place.”

“But… is this really over if this Salem lady is still alive?” Jaune pondered.

“Let me worry about Salem,” Oz quickly assured. “For now, the war has been won. Thanks to all of you.”

Blake paused, “We… won a war we didn’t know we were fighting?”

“Sounds like a best case scenario!” Nora exclaimed, trying to be the optimist.

Yang laughed, “Really takes the phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’ to a whole new level.”

A mix of laughter and mumbled agreements rippled through the group. Silence fell for a moment as the teams let everything they had heard sink in. 

“Is there… anything else we need to know?” Ren wondered on behalf of everyone.

With a more light-hearted sigh, Oz added, “I suppose there is one more thing.” Before continuing, Oz stood. “Qrow, if you may.”

Yang blinked, “Crow the animal or Qrow like our uncle?”

“Is Uncle Qrow even here??????” Ruby questioned.

In response to the questions, the crow hopped off Oz’s shoulder and hovered for a second. After one flap of its wings, a ball of energy replaced the bird until- _poof_ \- it transformed into a person who looked very familiar.

“Yes, yes, and yes,” the bird-man said with a crooked smile.

“Uncle Qrow!!??” the girls simultaneously gasped.

“Hey, kids.”

“I’m sorry…” Jaune interrupted, “that bird on your shoulder was…?”

“Me,” Qrow finished his thought.

“How is that even possible?” Yang stuttered.

“That’s not your semblance, is it?” Ruby guessed.

“Not exactly…”

Oz explained, “You see, Qrow has been helping me fight this war for a long time. I needed a spy. Someone to help me gather information and, well. Your uncle was more than happy to volunteer.”

“Volunteer for what?” Ruby prompted.

“For me to give him a fraction of the magic I have left.”

“So let me get this straight…” Yang laughed, “you used your dwindling magic power… to turn your boyfriend into a bird.”

Oz chuckled, “Yes, well, when you put it that way, it does sound rather far fetched.”

“As ridiculous as it is, you did get one thing wrong, Firecracker,” Qrow smirked.

“I did?”

“Let’s just say you can’t exactly call me a ‘boyfriend’ anymore.”

Cautiously, Yang asked, “Why not?”

Ruby’s eyes went wide as she immediately assumed the worst. “Oh no. Is everything ok? Did you two break up? Is this about to be super awkward?!?!?!?!”

“On the contrary,” Oz smiled. The headmaster lifted his left hand, showing off the silver and ruby red band that adorned his ring finger.

“Oh my gods…” Yang muttered.

“YOU’RE ENGAGED?!?!?!?” Ruby shouted with glee.

The sisters stood up from their respective seats and crowded around their soon-to-be-uncle to gawk at the ring.

“What? When? How?” was all Ruby could say.

“I have to know how this happened,” Yang agreed.

“Tell us everything!!!!!!”

Oz happily (and rather dramatically) told the story of the night Qrow proposed. The headmaster was having much more fun recounting the story than his fiance was hearing it as Qrow’s face went beet red with embarrassment several times. The girls, on the other hand, were way too invested in Oz’s narration to notice their uncle’s reaction. When Oz finished, Ruby and Yang’s excitement boiled over.

“Oh my gosh!!” Ruby squealed. “That’s _so cute_! I’m so happy for you guys!”

Ruby gave each of them a quick hug while Yang added, “Me too!”

Following her sister’s lead, Yang hugged them as well.

“Thanks, you two,” Qrow said as he held onto Yang.

As the girls took a step back, Ruby suddenly gasped, “OH MY GOSH!! Can Yang and I be the flower girls?!?!?!?!?!?!”

“Well, we haven’t really discussed details yet...” Qrow hesitated.

“Ruby, you do realize the flower girl is usually a small child, right?” Weiss interjected from behind.

Quietly but emphatically, Ruby started chanting, “Flower girl, flower girl, flower girl!”

Clearly, she did not care about the traditional age requirement.

“Alright, kiddo, we’ll think about it,” Qrow promised in an effort to get her to stop.

“YAY!!!!” Ruby exclaimed, jumping into Qrow’s arms in her excitement.

Sure, Qrow didn’t audibly say “yes,” but Oz knew very well that his answer translated to “Yes, but I won’t say it out loud.” It seemed Ruby was aware of the real meaning behind Qrow’s promise, too. 

Oz felt a tinge of relief as the kids took control of the conversation from there. The two huntsman teams started going back and forth, laughing and teasing each other about what they were wearing to the wedding. Oz only had to interrupt once to assure them that, of course, team JNPR and the remaining members of team RWBY were invited. The fact that they asked after already discussing it for ten minutes (because _obviously_ they were going to be there) was enough to put a smile on Oz’s face.

As Oz resumed his seat and listened to his students carry on, he remembered why he had gathered them all in the first place. The conversation had steered way off topic, and Oz was more than grateful for that. He had imagined this meeting ending _very_ differently.

~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow, the five months preceding the wedding crawled by painfully slowly while also flying by alarmingly quickly.

Since all of the Grimm had been cleared out of Beacon’s campus, Oz thought it would be an appropriate venue for the festivities. The ballroom served as the perfect setting for both the ceremony and the reception.

Oz stood on the edge of the dance floor, overseeing the arrangement of the chairs and decorations. Honestly, there wasn’t much to ‘oversee,’ but Oz needed something to do. Simply waiting around for the ceremony to commence was driving him insane.

As he was surveying the area, hands resting gracefully on the hilt of his weapon, Oz heard a familiar voice sneak up on him. “Not enjoying yourself?”

Oz turned, finding himself face to face with his youngest soon-to-be-niece. He smiled and raised an eyebrow at her attempted humor.

Ruby giggled, “Sorry, I had to.”

A small laugh escaped the headmaster’s lips, but he didn’t say anything. Ruby maintained the silence as she slipped her arm through his and leaned her head against his side. After a moment, the young huntress-in-training observed, “You know, I never thought I’d see the day Uncle Qrow settled down.”

“That makes two of us,” Oz admitted.

Ruby looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

What _did_ Oz mean? 

He thought about every obstacle they’d faced since Qrow asked him out to dinner six years ago. The arguments about Qrow’s drinking. The strain Oz’s workaholism put on their relationship. All the times Qrow thought his semblance would ruin everything eventually. And, of course, the constant threat of Salem always looming over them like a dark cloud that never opened up, yet never went away. Yet, despite it all, they came out the other side. And now here they were. Ready to take the next step.

“I’m not sure…” Oz hesitated. “I suppose sometimes it felt as though the whole world was against us.”

Ruby shrugged, “Well, yeah, but that’s what makes a relationship work, right? No matter what happens, you always stick together!”

Oz was taken aback by the applicability of Ruby’s statement. “How did you manage to grow up so fast?”

“I dunno,” Ruby said. “Maybe I just had good role models.”

The smile Ruby flashed him melted Oz’s heart. He untangled his arm from hers and wrapped her in a full hug as he said, “Thank you, Ruby.”

“You’re welcome, Uncle Oz.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Uncle Qrow? Are you up here? Uncle Oz needs to know if you-”

Yang cut herself off as she made it to the second floor balcony and caught a glimpse of her uncle. She found him sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with a flask in his right hand. The young fighter’s eyes went wide at the sight. 

Yang sighed, concern etched in her words, “Uncle Qrow… today? Of all days?”

Qrow shot her a sly smile. He knew how bad this looked. However, looks can be deceiving.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “It’s not alcohol.”

His niece crossed her arms- prosthetic over flesh- and glared at him. Clearly, she was not convinced.

“See for yourself,” Qrow laughed while handing her the flask.

Cautiously, Yang took the container. First she sniffed the contents, then she took a small sip to confirm. Her face broke into a smile as she removed the flask from her lips. “Apple juice?”

“It was the only thing I could find,” Qrow insisted. “Kinda wishing it was something stronger right now, though.”

Yang handed him the flask back before joining her uncle on the floor.

“Getting nervous?” she wondered.

Weakly, Qrow answered, “Who, me? Nervous? Never.”

“It’s ok to be scared, you know,” Yang reminded him. “This is a big step for both of you. Things that are this important are rarely easy.”

Qrow could only manage a silent nod as his eyes locked onto the flask in his hand. Yang hit the nail on the head. Important things were never easy.

It wasn’t easy for Qrow to get- and stay- sober. It wasn’t easy for him to learn to cope with his semblance. Most of all, it was never going to be easy for him to accept that he wouldn’t be able to protect Oz from everything.

Indeed, the road that led them here was anything except easy. And yet here they were. Ready to take the next step.

Qrow was only jolted from his train of thought when he heard Yang prompt, “Hey, Uncle Qrow?”

Finally, he was able to tear his gaze away from the object he was holding and look his niece in the eyes.

“I’m proud of you,” was all Yang said. It was all she needed to say.

Caught off guard, it took Qrow a second to answer. After he composed himself, a smile spread across his face as he wrapped an arm around Yang and responded, “Thanks, Yang. That means a lot.”

Yang leaned into the hug as she added, “You’re welcome, Uncle Qrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Surprisingly, the wedding went off without a hitch. The lack of a disaster actually put Oz and Qrow on edge a little. How was it possible that _nothing_ went wrong? Weird.

Regardless of the couple’s apprehension, the ceremony was beautiful.

The grooms wore matching black tuxes with reversed colors for the ties and pocket squares. Qrow’s tie was crimson red while Oz’s was emerald green. Their pocket squares, on the other hand, were vise versa.

In the end, Ruby got her wish, and her and Yang made excellent flower girls.

The young huntress-in-training wore a plain yet elegant red dress that cascaded all the way to her ankles. Yang wore a matching yellow dress along with the stunning necklace with an emerald green pendant that Oz picked out. The older sister refused to wear a green dress, insisting that it “just wasn’t her color,” so they compromised.

Glynda and Tai were the only other members of the wedding party, as the maid of honor and the best man, respectively. Both grooms agreed that less was better. Why bother adding more people just for the sake of adding them?

In total, there were only about thirty guests- a number which made going around and thanking everyone for coming at the reception a relatively painless process. As they started to make their rounds, Glynda seized the opportunity to formally say, “Congratulations, Ozpin. I’m happy for you. Even if I do stand by my belief that you could do so much better,” she added while shooting Qrow a teasing glare.

Qrow nodded, “Yeah, join the club.”

Oz shook his head. Something told him the self deprecating jokes were not going to stop any time soon. That’s ok. He would just have to love Qrow enough for both of them.

Turning his attention back to his maid of honor, Oz smiled, “Thank you, Glynda. For everything.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” she answered as she wrapped Oz in a hug.

As she pulled away she pointed an accusatory finger at Qrow. “You, on the other hand,” her tone shifted drastically. This was a threat. “If you hurt him? I swear to the gods you won’t live to see another day.”

Qrow laughed, “I don’t doubt it.”

“I’m not joking,” Glynda deadpanned.

“Oh, I know,” Qrow genuinely promised. 

After a moment, Glynda’s scowl broke into a devious smile.

“One more thing: take care of him.”

“I will. I promise,” Qrow nodded.

The headmistress kept her gaze locked on Qrow with a look that said “you fucking better promise” as she walked away.

When Glynda was out of earshot, Qrow sighed, “Damn. I would hate to see her truly angry.”

“You say, as if you haven’t made her absolutely furious dozens of times before,” Oz laughed.

“... Right,” Qrow agreed.

“Shall we continue?” Oz prompted.

With that, the two moved on. Eventually, they made it to team RWBY and JNPR’s table. Obviously, Ruby and Yang insisted that they all be seated together. As they approached, there was a collective clamor of “congratulations” and well wishes. Ruby immediately stood up and opened her arms and squealed, “Awwwww, you both look so handsome!!!!” as she gave them each a hug.

Yang copied her sister’s gesture adding, “You two clean up nice!”

“What?” Weiss interjected. “Are we going to pretend that Ozpin doesn’t _always_ look like he’s dressed for a wedding?”

“Well, yeah, sure, but not his _own_ wedding!” Ruby clarified.

“I try,” Oz nodded.

The whole table laughed at the headmaster’s modesty.

Yang commented, “I can’t believe it took this long for him to have to worry about his own wedding! Uncle Qrow really kept you waiting, huh?”

“Standing right here,” Qrow reminded her.

“Ok, then I’ll ask you!” Yang decided. “Why did you keep Uncle Oz waiting?”

“Yes, Qrow. Do tell,” Oz teased.

“How is this on me? You could have proposed, too, you know!” Qrow complained.

“Sure, play the blame game why don’t ya,” Yang shook her head.

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion, there, pipsqueak.”

Qrow ruffled his niece’s hair. No matter how old she got, messing up Yang’s hair was always the most effective way to get a rise out of her.

“Hey, get off!” Yang yelled, shoving her uncle away.

Another wave of laughter rippled from the table.

“Better late than never, right Uncle Oz?” Ruby shrugged.

“I suppose.”

Qrow grumbled, “Maybe ‘never’ would have been better this time around.”

“Uncle Qrow!” his nieces objected loudly.

“What? I’m just kidding!” Qrow insisted.

“Never letting Uncle Oz officially join the family would have just been cruel,” Yang explained.

“Yeah!” Ruby agreed. “He was practically family already.”

Yang nodded, “Exactly! Now it’s legally binding!”

“How romantic,” Oz chuckled.

“I guess it doesn’t matter how long it took,” Ruby concluded.

“True,” Yang continued. “The important part is it’s official now!”

“Welcome to the family, Uncle Oz!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The purpose of this chapter is totally just to let you know that we are ignoring Salem for the rest of this AU. Is it a flimsy excuse? Absolutely. Do we care? Not particularly. There’s no room for psychotic immortal witches in our fluffy shenanigans-filled AU. We are here for the escapism and that is that. Thank you very much.
> 
> Also, I apologize for not being able to do their wedding attire justice. I still need to work on describing clothes and appearances.
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and that you're all safe XD all feedback is appreciated!


	12. If a Tree Falls...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz and Qrow's family grows a little bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm at the end of my rope here. I had to split this chapter into two parts so... you know what that means! I'm done guessing. Who knows what the final chapter count of this fic will be. ~~I should have cut my losses 4 extra chapters ago.~~
> 
> **Reminder** : for updates on this story and drabbles set in this AU you can follow me on Tumblr @rwby-teamrwby-leaderruby! Ok, that is all XD

Oz wasted no time. The day after he said “I do” he started looking into the adoption process. His husband, on the other hand, was still a little anxious about the whole affair. Although his anxiety was short lived. After the couple’s first visitation with the kid, Qrow was all in. Immediately, he started making plans to get his job back at Signal so that he could teach their son how to fight, just like he did for Ruby and Yang. While Oz was obviously elated that Qrow was feeling better about their decision, he did have to keep reminding his husband that there was a very real possibility that the child would not want to be a huntsman. The thought of their son _not_ wanting to be a huntsman seemed to lower Qrow’s enthusiasm every time Oz brought it up, but he always bounced back in time. Before now, Qrow never thought he’d be able to have a family. Now he was building one of his own.

It took almost six months, but finally, the day came- the day Oscar Pine officially joined the Branwen family.

Oscar was an adorable, very shy seven year old boy from Mistral. Oz and Qrow were told that the boy had been orphaned at three years old when his parents were tragically killed in a Grimm attack. With no extended family to take him in, he was stuck in the foster care system for four years.

For the first week, as one may expect, Oscar was very quiet. Mostly, he sat either on the couch or in his new bedroom, reading by himself. He never seemed anxious or uncomfortable around the two of them, just disengaged.

After staying home with Oscar for a few days, Oz had to go back to work. Beacon was getting ready to open up again and there was still quite a lot of preparation to be done before classes started in the fall. Coming back after the Battle of Beacon was much more intensive than returning after a normal summer. The students seemed very eager to continue their training, but no one was more grateful for summer's end than Taiyang Xiao Long. He had told Oz in confidence that he “couldn’t wait to be an empty-nester again.” Words Qrow never thought he’d hear come out of Tai’s mouth.

Of course, leaving Oscar in the middle of the week made Oz feel beyond guilty. To make up for lost time, Oz suggested a family trip to Vale.

The trio ended up getting breakfast at the Elk’s Diner just outside the city, going to a movie, and stopping by an arcade. Although, Oscar seemed sort of indifferent to the whole day until Oz asked him if he wanted to check out a local bookstore instead. As soon as they entered the store, Oscar’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. He browsed in silence, his only reaction being a huge smile whenever he found a book that interested him. Qrow was caught off guard when Oscar turned around with a stack of books in his arms.

“Okay, we can go!” Oscar announced.

“Oscar, we said you could pick out a _few books_ ,” Qrow reminded him.

Oscar looked perplexed by the statement.

“You’re holding at least ten,” Qrow explained.

“You didn’t set a limit!” Oscar accused.

Qrow could only shake his head and laugh.

_Technically he’s not wrong._

“Let’s set the limit at three, then,” Qrow asserted.

“But...”

“You can always buy the others next time, kiddo.”

Oscar lowered his head as he conceded, “Alright, fine.”

As they walked back onto the city streets, Oscar clutched his three new books to his chest like they were cuddly stuffed animals. Suddenly, with big eyes and an innocent smile on his face, Oscar looked up at Qrow and asked, “Can we do this every weekend?”

Qrow said slowly, “I don’t know about _every_ weekend.”

“Please?” Oscar added quickly, sensing the hesitation.

At a loss for words, Qrow turned to his husband for an answer.

Oz compromised, “How about every _other_ weekend?”

Oscar’s smile widened as he exclaimed, “Deal!”

It was like they found the key to Oscar’s heart. After their trip to the bookstore, he became a little more affectionate and talkative. By the end of the night, Oscar was curled up next to Oz on the couch, telling him all about the new books he got. All he needed was a little connection for his new house to feel like home.

As promised, the routine of going to breakfast, walking around the city, and visiting the bookstore was repeated two weeks later. This time, however, they did add a trip to the park. 

The three of them strolled along a path, trees dancing in the wind to their left, a sprawling field full of people playing games and pinicing to their right. At some point, Qrow noticed that Oscar was staring at Oz’s cane while they walked. The man carried that thing everywhere and Qrow could tell that Oscar was just dying to know why. After a moment’s hesitation, Oscar finally spoke up and asked. He seemed surprised by the answer.

“You mean it’s also… a weapon?” Oscar repeated. “It doesn’t look like much…”

“Well, it’s not meant to deal damage, exactly,” Oz explained.

“Then what is it meant to do?”

“It’s designed to incapacitate.”

“To what?” the seven-year-old asked.

“To make sure your opponent can’t attack back,” Qrow chimed in.

“Oh... So it uses defense?”

“Exactly,” Qrow confirmed.

Oscar turned his questioning to Qrow. “Well, what about you? Why don’t you carry your huntsman weapon all the time?”

Qrow answered vaguely, “Let’s just say mine is a little more… offensive.”

“You mean it’s designed to kill?” Oscar blurted out.

Qrow was not prepared for the kid to be that direct. After a pause, he lowered his head and confirmed, “Yeah. That’s what I mean…”

They continued walking. For a few steps, Oscar stayed silent, and Qrow looked down at his youthful face, searching for a reaction to his statement. Oscar’s face was unreadable. Out of the blue, he announced, “If I become a huntsman I think my weapon will be defensive, too.”

“‘If’? Why ‘if’?” Qrow wondered.

The boy’s father really hoped that it would be a ‘when.’

“Do you want to be a huntsman?” Oz interjected, just to be sure.

“Yes!” Oscar exclaimed. “More than anything but… who knows if I’ll be good enough. I’ve heard getting into Beacon Academy is crazy hard. _Way_ harder than Haven.”

“Well, I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say ‘crazy hard,’” Oz smirked.

“How do you know?” Oscar questioned.

“I may have a connection or two…”

_Oh, is_ that _what we’re calling it?_

“Really?!”

Finally, Qrow broke, “Your old man is being modest, kiddo.” The huntsman leaned over and whispered, “He actually runs the place.”

Oscar’s eyes went wide. “No way!”

Oz gave Qrow a piercing glare, but it was not for telling Oscar about his job. It was most certainly for the use of the phrase “old man.” Qrow knew he was gonna pay for that one later.

“Does that mean you can teach _me_ how to be a huntsman?”

“Of course, Oscar,” Oz smiled. “If that’s what you want.”

“Yes!” Oscar answered, throwing his head back and pumping his fist in the air.

Now that they were on the topic, Oscar had a million questions about being a huntsman. They continued their leisurely stroll as the young boy peppered them with his queries about Grimm and fighting and going on missions. Oscar became more enthusiastic with every answer.

Only the haunting sound of tree roots cracking beneath the ground was enough to tear Qrow’s attention away from the conversation. The creaking might as well have been in slow motion- an omen of the damage to come. It was a sound Qrow was all too familiar with, what with his semblance always causing things to collapse, crack, or break. As soon as the source of the noise was clear, Qrow shouted, “Wait, look out!”

The huntsman didn’t wait for a response before he grabbed his son by the arm, pulled him close, and turned his back to the treeline.

_Snap._

_Snap._

_CRACK!_

Qrow braced for an impact, but after a second he realized it wasn’t coming. He loosened his hold on Oscar and turned around to see his husband supporting the weight of the fallen tree. The headmaster heaved and gasped as he tossed the tree carcas to the side. When he looked back at his family the expression on his face said it all: what a stroke of bad luck.

After the initial shock wore off, Qrow turned back to Oscar, asking, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Oscar nodded sheepishly. “I’m fine.”

Oscar leaned into Qrow’s chest and wrapped him in a hug as he added, “Thanks, Dad.”

_Dad…_

Qrow was left breathless for a second.

Even after he composed himself he could barely choke out the words.

“You’re welcome, Oscar.”

But there was no real reason to say “you’re welcome.” Qrow didn’t think he deserved a “thank you.” After all, the whole ordeal was definitely his fault.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Damnit, Oz. This is _exactly_ what I was afraid of.”

“Darling, please. Keep your voice down.”

Qrow’s volume raised with every word. “The kid could’ve died, Oz!”

“Qrow, for gods’ sake!”

Oz stood and closed the bedroom door as his partner continued to pace around the room. The incident in the park really had Qrow rattled, but he was able to hold his frustration in until after they put Oscar to bed. Now, it seemed his anger was spilling out all at once.

“Please,” Oz reiterated. “I don’t want Oscar to hear us.”

“You said this wouldn’t happen!” Qrow pointed an accusatory finger in Oz’s direction, his voice strained as he stifled his volume. “It only took you less than a few weeks to be wrong!”

“I never said this _wouldn’t_ happen,” Oz corrected. “If you recall, I said this was inevitable, but that we would handle it accordingly, which you did, mind you.”

A scoff fell from Qrow’s lips as he folded his arms across his chest, clearly not satisfied with Oz’s response.

The headmaster elaborated, “You sensed that your semblance was going to cause Oscar harm and you stepped in to protect him before he got hurt. Which, for the record, is actually what I said would happen.”

As Oz’s words set in, Qrow’s arms fell to his side. Suddenly, his fists clenched, his jaw tightened. Oz thought he was in for a tongue-lashing. He was relieved when Qrow’s muscles visibly relaxed and he only let out a defeated sigh instead. However, the relief was short-lived, as Qrow admitted, “I just- I don’t know if I can do this forever…”

Oz paused before reminding his husband of an important detail. “You were willing to do it forever for me.”

A glimmer of hope broke through Qrow’s eyes. He hadn’t thought of it that way.

“What’s changed?” Oz wondered.

Qrow shook off the realization, his look of hope shattered by confusion as he blurted out, “It’s different! At least you knew! You _chose_ to be with me, curse and all, remember? Oscar didn’t.”

Qrow planted himself on the edge of their bed as he dropped his head into his hands. A muffled groan rattled from his throat, his frustration with the conversation boiling over. Oz carefully sat next to him, wrapped him in a one-armed hug and squeezed as he softly asked, “Do you regret deciding not to tell him about your semblance?”

Qrow lifted his head and stood up, purposefully releasing himself from Oz’s hold. “I… I regret more than that.”

As Oz’s arm dropped so did his heart. What was that supposed to mean?

“You don’t mean that, Qrow,” he insisted desperately. “I saw the look on your face, after he called you ‘dad’ this afternoon.”

“Just forget it, Oz,” Qrow grumbled as he crawled into bed. He wrapped himself in the comforter and closed his eyes, trying to send a clear message: "I’m done talking about this."

“Would you allow your semblance to get in the way of that?” Oz pleaded, in an attempt to get a response.

“I said drop it.”

“Qrow-”

“Goodnight,” Qrow said with a tone of finality. As he spoke, he lifted his arm and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. With the single flip of a switch, Qrow sent the room into darkness and the conversation came to a close.

~~~~~~~~~~

A whole day passed without revisiting the topic. Regardless, it ate away at Oz, but he didn’t want to bring it up in broad daylight for fear that Oscar would overhear. He wasn’t even one hundred percent certain that Oscar hadn’t heard them arguing the night before. The thought that even one sentence of what was said might have reached Oscar’s ears made Oz’s head spin. 

The second floor of their new house was only one long hallway. There was a very real possibility that the sound carried to Oscar’s bedroom.

Nonetheless, Oz managed to bite his tongue until Oscar was in bed on Sunday night.

An hour after Oscar said goodnight, his parents were relaxing in a comfortable silence on the couch in the family room. Qrow was leaning against Oz’s side, frantically typing on his scroll- probably texting Ruby who was always searching for an update on her new cousin. Oz was making an attempt to read, his book opened in his right hand while his left arm was draped across Qrow’s chest. However, one couldn’t really call what Oz was doing “reading.” His eyes skimmed over the pages but his mind refused to process a single word. The conversation from the previous night was replaying in his head relentlessly.

_I regret more than that._

Those were Qrow’s words. A knot formed in the pit of Oz's stomach as he thought about what that might mean for them. Would Qrow really consider putting Oscar back up for adoption because of this? There was only one way to find out.

“You know we… we never did finish our conversation last night…” Oz reminded his husband.

Qrow’s fingers froze over his scroll as he sighed, “Had a feeling you were gonna bring that up.”

Oz sympathized, “I know you sometimes like to take a day or two to think things through but, well, this time it-”

“It wouldn't be fair to Oscar,” Qrow filled in the blank. “I know.”

Slowly, Qrow sat up and spun around, indicating to Oz that he was willing to continue the discussion now. Oz could only hope that this would be a more productive version of the altercation that occurred last night.

For a moment, Qrow simply stared down at the couch, his right arm leaning against the couch and supporting his head. Assuming his partner was collecting his thoughts, Oz waited patiently for Qrow to say something. Finally, the words tumbled out of his mouth.

“I just don't know what to do, Oz. What _can_ we do? Do we even have any options?”

“I've thought of a few…”

“Ok, great,” Qrow scoffed. “Would you like to share with the rest of the class?”

As Oz closed his book and set it off to the side, he shot Qrow an exasperated look. He was only trying to help.

Qrow recognized the expression immediately. “Sorry.”

“As I was saying,” Oz continued. “I think we have three real choices. Number one-”

Oz’s throat caught as he remembered the choices he had crafted for them. It took all of his will power to choke out option number one. He _hated_ option number one.

“Number one: we put him back up for adoption and we do the best we can until someone else can care for him.”

“Yeah, I don't like option number one,” Qrow said immediately.

“Glad we're in agreement on that,” Oz replied, his monotone voice betraying just how relieved he was to hear that. “Option number two is a little more creative. We could ask Taiyang to take him.”

“We could _what_?”

“Obviously, this option is contingent upon Taiyang's agreement.”

“What, so Oscar would be-”

“Our nephew,” Oz explained. “We could still see him and watch him grow up. However, we wouldn't have to worry about…”

“Yeah…”

Silence became suffocating as they both pondered option number two. Oz was right, it was a more creative solution, but it was still unsatisfying. After all, Oscar still wouldn’t be their son anymore. A few seconds passed before Oz continued. There was still one option they hadn’t considered.

“Which brings us to option number three.”

“Which is?”

“We give him the choice,” Oz stated bluntly

“The choice of what?”

“Last night you said that I chose to be with you regardless of your semblance. I chose you ‘curse and all,’ I believe is how you put it.”

A smile played at Qrow’s lips, the fond tone Oz chose to repeat his own words back to him enough to make him blush.

“So, we give Oscar that same choice,” Oz went on. “We explain the situation to him, and we let him decide.”

“What if he chooses to leave?” Qrow worried.

Oz sighed, “Then I suppose we’ll have to let him decide between options one and two.”

“That’s a big decision to hand to a seven year old…”

“It is,” Oz nodded. “But, right now, we’re his family. We’re the only family he has. How fair would it be for us to decide that we didn’t want to be his family anymore?”

“I don’t _want_ to leave him, though,” Qrow clarified.

“Neither do I. But if we make this decision without him he’ll never know that.”

“Sure, but I just- who knows how he’s gonna react when I tell him, I just…”

Qrow collapsed into Oz’s side, resuming his original relaxed position as he admitted defeat. Following suit, Oz wrapped his left arm around his partner. With his right hand now free, he started combing through Qrow’s hair as he searched for a response.

For once, Oz was at a loss for words. It seemed that Qrow was also leaning towards option number three, but his fear was not an unfounded one. There was no way to know how Oscar would react to the information that one of his adoptive parents was actually a harbinger of bad luck. How do you even explain that to a child?

“I just don’t want Oscar to be scared of me…” Qrow added.

The moment dragged by in silence. That silence was suddenly shattered by a tiny voice asking, “Why would I be scared of you?”

Qrow’s eyes went wide as he shot into an upright position. Seeing the source of the voice standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at them with a confused expression, Qrow stuttered, “Oscar, hey, kiddo, we were just, um…”

His voice trailed off as he pondered what to say next. Instead, he turned to look at Oz, his question written all over his face: “Should I tell him?”

Quiet enough that Oscar couldn’t hear, Oz nodded, “If you’re ready.”

Qrow sighed, “Oscar, can you come here?”

There was no time like the present.

The seven year old cautiously made his way to the couch. He stood in front of Qrow, his confusion morphing into fear as the atmosphere of the room shifted.

“Go ahead, sit down,” Qrow insisted.

Oscar stayed standing as he asked, “What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?”

“No! No, not at all, it’s just-” another sigh interrupted Qrow’s thought. He decided it’d be best to jump right in. “Oscar, do you know what a semblance is?”

A silent headshake indicated that the answer was “no.”

“Ok. Do you know what aura is?”

“Sort of,” Oscar said shyly. “I don’t know how it works, but I know it protects huntsmen when they fight monsters...”

“Yeah, it does,” Qrow smiled. “That’s not all it can do, though. It’s also the source of power for something called a semblance. A special ability that all huntsmen unlock at some point, usually during their training.”

“What does a semblance do?” Oscar wondered.

“Well, that’s the thing. Semblances are different for every person. But they usually give the fighter some kind of advantage. A few people I know have super speed, or teleportation, even.”

“Like a superpower!” Oscar exclaimed, a huge smile spreading across his face.

“Exactly. Like a superpower,” Qrow agreed.

As Oz watched Qrow calmly but clearly explain this bizarre concept to their son, he realized that Qrow was more than capable of being a parent. He could only hope that after tonight Oscar would still be their son.

“The thing is, my semblance isn’t like most,” Qrow continued.

“What do you mean?”

Qrow needed to brace himself to answer the question. He sucked in a shaky breath. Silently, Oz laid a hand on his husband’s shoulder, encouraging him to answer.

“How do I put this?” Qrow sighed. “Because of my semblance, bad things tend to happen when I’m around…”

“What kind of bad things?”

“All kinds of things. Anything from a bridge collapsing, to a glass window breaking-”

“Or a tree falling down!”

It was clear that Oscar was now putting the pieces together. The memory of the day before was still fresh in his mind.

“Or a tree falling down,” Qrow repeated weakly. “So, we wanted to ask you-”

“I’m not scared of you,” Oscar interrupted.

“You- what?”

“When I came downstairs,” Oscar recalled, “you said you didn’t want me to be scared of you. I’m not.”

“Are you sure?” Qrow blinked. “I know it may seem like nothing now, but it’s very unpredictable.”

“Yeah, but you have to be there for it to affect me, right?”

“Right…”

“Which means that you’ll also be there looking out for me! Just like you did yesterday!”

“I-”

Qrow was at a loss for words. His gaze shifted from his son, to the floor, to his husband.

“Did you tell him to say that?” Qrow accused.

“Of course not!” Oz answered indignantly.

“Why would he have told me to say that?” Oscar wondered.

Qrow shook his head in disbelief as he turned his attention back to the kid. It had only been three weeks and already he was turning into a little Oz. After a pause, Qrow asked, “S-so you’ll stay with us?”

“Why wouldn’t I stay with you?” Oscar asked as if it wasn’t even an option. “You’re my parents!”

Oscar jumped into Qrow’s arms as he finished his statement.

Hearing those words spoken out loud knocked the wind out of Oz.

_"You’re my parents!" He already sees us as his parents_ , Oz thought.

“Thank you, Oscar,” Qrow coughed on the verge of tears. “Thank you.”

A smile plastered itself onto Oz’s face as he watched Qrow and Oscar hold each other. 

Honestly, Oz wished he could take credit for the whole event, but even he could not have predicted that the conversation would have been so painless.

It felt official. They were his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am excited to finally be able to claim that this is a Cloqwork Family fic XD I can't wait to write these three as fathers and son. I love them so much lol.
> 
> Fun inside joke anecdote time: While I was trying to figure out what their "three options" would be after the park incident I straight up asked my friends for help in looking up the phrase "is it possible to un-adopt a child." It did not occur to me that they could just put him back up for adoption. In summary, I'm an idiot, and I just thought you all should know that XD
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! All feedback is appreciated! Stay safe everyone XD


	13. A Legacy in the Making

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar finally gets a chance to meet Team RWBY and his Uncle Tai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is literally a ball of fluff. Seriously, I don't think a single really significant thing happens. But I think it's cute and I had fun writing it XD I hope you enjoy reading it lol.
> 
>  **Reminder** : for updates on this story and drabbles set in this AU you can follow me on Tumblr @rwby-teamrwby-leaderruby! Ok, that is all XD

Ruby was getting very impatient. It had been over a month since Oscar’s adoption and the young huntress-in-training still hadn’t met her little cousin in person. That was not okay.

To remedy that, the Branwen-Pine family switched up their usual Saturday plans to take a trip to Patch so that Oscar could meet Team RWBY and his Uncle Tai.

With Beacon back in session, the huntresses had to trek all the way home for the weekend, but they didn’t mind. After all, the get together was their idea. Their excitement was even more evident when Qrow, Oz, and Oscar arrived at the Xiao Long-Rose house. As soon as the trio set foot on the property, they were greeted by two extremely friendly faces.

“Yay, you’re here!” Ruby announced.

“Finally!” Yang said in mock annoyance.

“It feels like it’s been _forever_ since we saw you last!”

“Well, we see Uncle Oz all the time,” Yang shrugged.

“No we don’t,” Ruby corrected. “We see _Professor Ozpin_ all the time.”

“Oh,” Oz raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Is there a difference?”

“There’s totally a difference!” Ruby confirmed.

“Yeah, okay, there is.”

As he watched their conversation, Oscar stayed as close to Oz as possible, even going so far as to hug his father’s leg and hide behind him to avoid being noticed. To Oscar’s dismay, he was very much noticed.

Ruby made direct eye contact with him, her pupils growing wide and her silver eyes lighting up with delight as she squealed, “Oh my gosh!!! You must be Oscar!”

Oscar wasn’t sure how this girl knew his name but he did know one thing: he did not like it. He stayed silent, his only response being to look up at Oz with the question embedded on his face. After a moment, he retreated even more, now only one eye visible as he peered around Oz’s leg.

“He’s a little shy,” Qrow explained.

“That’s ok,” Ruby chirped. “Meeting new people can be scary sometimes, right Oscar?”

It was comforting that the girl seemed to understand where Oscar was coming from. That’s exactly what he had been thinking.

“Well, I’m Ruby!” the girl exclaimed.

“My name’s Yang,” her sister added.

“Hi…” Oscar responded, almost inaudible.

“Come on! Everyone else is inside,” Ruby explained. “We can introduce you to Weiss and Blake!”

The two girls started to walk away, but Oscar didn’t dare follow. He waited for his parents to take the lead before he moved an inch. As Oz started to walk, Oscar reached up and grabbed his hand. The seven-year-old was not risking being separated from his dad. He clung to Oz like a statically charged shirt coming out of the dryer. 

When they stepped into the house, Oz, Qrow, and Oscar were greeted by two different girls who looked to be about the same age as Yang. The pair waved and welcomed the new guests, their pleasantries blending together as they both spoke different phrases at the same time.

Again, they went through the process of introductions, Oscar still hiding behind his dads and not saying much during the conversation. He did learn that the girl dressed in white’s name was Weiss, and the girl that was standing with her was named Blake.

After Weiss and Blake met Oscar, Ruby called into the kitchen, “Dad! Uncle Qrow and Uncle Oz are here!”

“I’ll be right out!” a male voice answered back.

Oscar watched carefully as Qrow disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to talk to whoever had responded to Ruby’s announcement. His grip on Oz's hand became a little tighter. There were only two people in the house Oscar was comfortable being with. One of them just left the room. He was not going to let the second one slip away, too.

It seemed everyone was breaking off to do their own thing now. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang sat on the floor around the coffee table in the middle of the living room. A map of Remnant was laid out in front of them, and they started dealing out cards and setting up Grimm figures. Oscar pieced together that it was a game of sorts.

Blake, on the other hand, took a seat on the armchair behind Yang and pulled out a book instead.

Yang craned her neck to look at her girlfriend. “Blake, are you gonna play?”

“Nope, I’m good,” Blake responded, eyes already glued to the printed words. “You guys play without me.”

“Come on, Blake!” Ruby encouraged. “It’s way more fun with four people!”

“Reading.”

“Fine, be that way,” Yang teased as she stuck her tongue out.

Blake returned the gesture without another word.

As the girls settled into their game, Oz led Oscar to the couch. The seven-year-old climbed up and squeezed next to his dad, continuing to cling to him even though there was plenty of room to spread out.

Oz sat contentedly watching Ruby, Weiss, and Yang get overly competitive about their game of world domination. Meanwhile, Oscar couldn’t take his eyes off of Blake- or rather he couldn’t take his eyes off the book she was reading. From where he sat, he could just barely make out the cover, and he could have sworn that he had seen it before. He wanted to ask her about it, maybe strike up a conversation about other books, but he was just too nervous. Where would he even start?

In an attempt to get some assistance, Oscar simply looked up at Oz, his golden-brown eyes locked onto his dad’s face, hoping he’d notice that his son needed help. After a moment, Oz did, in fact, notice.

“Are you alright?” Oz asked quietly.

“I’m fine, but I uh…” the child’s voice trailed off as his gaze drifted to Blake. 

Following his son’s line of sight, Oz realized what he was drawn to and wondered, “Have you read that book before?”

“I don’t think so, but it looks familiar…”

“Why don’t you ask her about it? I’m sure Blake would love to talk about all kinds of books. She loves reading almost as much as you do.”

At this point, Oscar was surprised Blake hadn’t overheard them talking. She must have been so invested in the story that the rest of the world melted away. Oscar had been there. Unfortunately, that meant he’d have to initiate the conversation himself. Everytime he thought of something to say it got stuck in his throat. Eventually, he gave up, shying away and burying his face in Oz’s side. He just couldn’t do it.

“Do you _want_ to talk to her?” Oz asked.

Oscar tilted his head up ever so slightly, only one eye peeking out as he silently nodded ‘yes.’

“What if I asked her for you?”

With a small smile and a hushed voice, Oscar agreed, “Ok.”

Oz returned the smile and kissed the top of Oscar’s head before turning to his student. “Blake.”

Now that she had been formally addressed, Blake perked up to listen.

“Oscar was wondering if you could tell him a little about the book you’re reading.”

“Are you sure?” Blake hesitated. “It’s a little… mature.”

Oz looked at Oscar. “Didn’t you say it looked familiar?”

“Yeah… I- I don’t know,” Oscar answered just above a whisper. “I feel like I’ve seen it before.”

Blake thought for a moment. “Have you been to any of the bookstores in the city?”

“Yeah,” Oscar nodded slowly. “We go to one all the time.”

“Which one?”

“I believe it’s called Tuckson’s?” Oz recalled.

“Yeah, that one,” Oscar confirmed.

“Oh, I love that place!” Blake exclaimed. “They almost always have this series in stock. Maybe you saw it there?”

“Maybe…”

Sensing that Oscar wanted to say more, Blake closed her book and moved to the couch to sit next to him.

“What books have you read already?” she asked.

That one question was enough to break Oscar out of his shell. He launched into a full explanation of how he’s been reading a lot lately. Since Oz and Qrow started taking him into the city he’s been reading three books every two weeks. The “you can’t buy more until you finish the ones you have” rule encouraged Oscar to read even more than he used to.

“That’s a good rule!” Blake laughed. “I might need to start doing that myself. My bookshelf is full of books I haven’t even touched.”

Surprisingly, it seemed that Blake was familiar with almost every story Oscar recounted to her. She was genuinely interested in taking a walk down memory lane as Oscar relayed the plot of each, his mind remembering details that Blake had long forgotten.

Eventually, after an amount of time that could no longer be considered “being right there,” Qrow and Tai emerged from the kitchen.  
“Good, Dad’s here!” Ruby announced. “Now we can play something else!”

“You only want to play something else because you’re losing!” Yang accused.

“That’s not true! I want to play something else so everyone can join.”

“And because you’re losing,” Weiss interjected.

“You were losing, too! Who’s side are you on, anyway?”

A small wave of laughter rippled out at Ruby’s question. 

As silence fell, Ruby looked at her new cousin and wondered, “Oscar, do you want to play?”

For a minute, Oscar wasn’t sure how to respond. All eyes were on him as he contemplated his answer. He glanced around the room at all of the curious faces in front of him. Finally, his gaze landed on Blake and his decision was made.

“I’ll play if Blake does,” the child smiled.

Blake couldn’t hide her delight as she shrugged, “Yeah, why not?”

“Yes!” Ruby exclaimed. The young huntress-in-training shot the same question to her uncle. “What about you, Uncle Oz?”

Clamoring rose from the crowd as everyone tried to peer pressure Oz into participating. Usually the headmaster didn’t join, insisting everytime that he was happy watching.

Oz stuttered, “Oh, no, I couldn’t-”

“Please play,” Oscar interrupted. “Please, Dad?”

Whether Oscar knew it or not, that was all he had to say for Oz to become putty in his hand. Until the euphoria of the whole “new dad” thing wore off, it would be very hard for Oz to say no to almost anything Oscar asked.

“Alright,” Oz sighed. “I suppose one round couldn’t hurt.”

A collective cheer of surprise erupted at the change in attitude. 

Deciding on a game took about fifteen minutes. After way too much debating, the group finally settled on a version of Headbands- the game where each player places a card on their head and asks yes or no questions to figure out what the card says. In the interest of fairness, they opted for creating cards themselves so they could tailor the difficulty to the player.

Naturally, ‘one round’ for Oz turned into more than ten as he would usually play two or three before trying to back out. Of course, every time he said he was done Oscar would flash him a sad “are you really done?” look and he would concede to playing again. It was almost too easy.

Meanwhile, Weiss ended up being surprisingly good at the game which led to Yang accusing her of cheating several times.

“There’s no _way_ you could’ve known that your card said ‘landing strategies’ solely based on the answer to the question ‘is it school related?’!!!!” Yang complained.

“Well I did. Deal with it,” Weiss shot back.

Throughout the course of the game, whenever Blake wrote a card for Oscar she almost always made it a character from one of the books they discussed earlier that afternoon. The young boy was thrilled every time he managed to narrow it down and figure out which character Blake had picked this time. It was like the smile on his face grew wider with every passing round.

However, the best card of the day had to go to Tai. During the last round, he was tasked with writing something for Qrow, and he did not waste his opportunity.

“Oh no,” Oz sighed when he saw what Tai had done.

Oscar started giggling as he realized what his dad’s card said. “That’s a great card, Uncle Tai!”

“Do I even want to know?” Qrow grunted.

“Honestly? Probably not,” Tai admitted through a laugh.

By the time everyone else had figured out what they were, Qrow was far from piecing together his.

“I’m a _concept_??” he exclaimed. “What the hell does that mean?”

Yang teased him, “Come on. You’re the only one left, Uncle Qrow.”

“Hint time!” Ruby announced.

“He only needs the one,” Oz shook his head. “Go ahead, Oscar.”

“It’s your semblance, Dad!” Oscar immediately called out.

“It’s my-” Qrow stopped and looked at his card. A groan escaped his throat as he read the words ‘bad luck’ scribbled in Tai’s messy handwriting. “Okay, yeah, I hate this game,” he added as he threw the slip of paper on the table in defeat. The huntsman shot Tai a dirty look as a reluctant smile crept onto his face. A roar of laughter filled the house as it became clear that Qrow wasn’t actually upset. Even he had to admit, it was one of Tai’s better jokes.

Finally, at almost nine o’clock, the Branwen-Pine family had to say goodbye. Oscar made sure to give everyone a hug before they left, his comfort level with them rising rather quickly over the course of the day. By the time they left, it was almost as if he was always a part of the family.

~~~~~~~~~~

Oz tried to avoid working Saturdays as much as possible. 

Now that he had a son with his own school schedule, Oz tried to spend as much time home as possible- making Saturday his new favorite day of the week. This particular Saturday, however, he had to come in for a half day for an unexpected council meeting and a few other things. Although, he didn’t have to hate it this time because today he was able to bring an unexpected guest.

“Hey, Dad, what does this word mean?” Oscar asked suddenly.

The headmaster was sitting at his desk, pouring over some old files on the scroll in his right hand. Meanwhile, the seven-year-old was sitting on his dad’s lap, straddling Oz’s left leg while using his father’s upper body as a backrest.

To answer his son’s question, Oz slowly lifted his head, his eyes lingering on his work for a second before he gave Oscar his full attention.

“Hm? What word is that?”

Oscar showed him the book he was reading and pointed at the page. “This one.”

“Ah, that’s pronounced ‘altercation,’ it means an argument or disagreement.”

“Oh, ok,” Oscar shrugged, returning to his book.

About five minutes passed without another word before Oscar proudly closed his book and set it down.

“Are you tired of reading for now?” Oz wondered.

“Nope! I finished it…” Oscar clarified. “Now I’m bored.”

“Are you really?”

“Yeah, that was the only thing I brought to do!” the child claimed, throwing his hands up in defeat.

“I see,” Oz said. “Well, how about when I finish up here we go visit your cousins? I’m sure they’d love to show you around.”

Oscar yawned, “Ok. We can do that.”

As his son finished his sentence, Oz felt Oscar’s weight shift as the child leaned back and relaxed. The headmaster was pretty sure that the seven-year-old was now attempting to take a nap, despite the awkwardness of the position he was in. Oz smiled to himself, kissed the top of Oscar’s head, and returned to his work. After all, the sooner he finished, the sooner he could enjoy the day with his son and nieces.

A few productive moments later, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal none other than Glynda Goodwitch.

“Professor Ozpin, are you- oh,” the headmistress stopped herself when she noticed the guest. “You- your son is here.”

The sound of the elevator and the greeting were enough to wake Oscar from his nap. Now he was looking at his father with an expression that begged the question: “who is this?”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Oz stuttered. “Glynda, this is Oscar. Oscar, this is your Aunt Glynda.”

The huntress was not expecting the familial title. “I’m- yes, well, it’s nice to meet you, Oscar.”

“Hi…” Oscar whispered as he hugged his dad’s left arm. The sudden presence of a stranger sent him right back to being shy and quiet.

Glynda addressed her boss again. “May I ask what your son is doing here?”

“Qrow is away on an impromptu mission all weekend,” Oz explained bluntly. “There was no time to get someone to watch Oscar for the day."

“You couldn’t _get_ someone to watch him for the day,” Glynda crossed her arms, “or you didn’t _want_ someone to watch him for the day?”

“Does it matter?” Oz wondered with a sly smile.

“It might. And did you forget about the staff meeting we had scheduled for this afternoon?”

Oz’s smile was wiped clean off his face as he remembered the meeting Glynda was referring to. He had, indeed, forgotten about it. His silence told Glynda everything she needed to know.

“So you did forget.”

Sighing, Oz admitted, “Perhaps I did.”

Oz stared into Oscar’s big, golden-brown eyes as he tried to decide how to fix the problem he created himself. How stupid could he have been? It wouldn't have been that difficult to ask someone to watch Oscar for half a day. Hell, he could have even asked… oh wait.

“Oscar,” Oz finally said, “how would you feel about spending the rest of the afternoon with Ruby and Yang?”

“You mean, like, without you?”

“Yes, without me,” Oz nodded. “Would that be alright?”

“Yeah… I think…” Oscar hesitated. “I think as long as Ruby is there I'll be fine.”

“Ok,” Oz agreed, his smile returning. “Let’s go find your cousins.”

~~~~~~~~~~

For Team RWBY, Saturdays almost always meant Ruby had some kind of elaborate team bonding exercise planned. This week, however, the huntress-in-training opted for something a little simpler.

The four teammates laid sprawled out on a blanket in the grass of the courtyard. In the interest of keeping it simple, they were having a small picnic while playing one of Yang’s favorite games.

“My turn!” Ruby declared. “Never have I ever… Oh, I know! Never have I ever lived in a house with more than three bathrooms!”

Weiss protested, “Seriously? Another shot at my family? Is wealth the _only_ thing you can think of right now?”

“No, it’s just the easiest way to target you,” Yang explained.

Weiss begrudgingly put one of her eight remaining fingers down to indicate that she had done what Ruby hadn’t.

“Fine, you wanna play dirty?” Weiss warned. “Never have I ever caused an explosion by sneezing!”

“How rude! We agreed to never speak of the first day we met!”

Ruby was now down to nine fingers.

“You wanted to play target practice,” Weiss complained. “This is what you get!”

Blake teased, “Weiss, you set yourself up for this one.”

“For what one?”

“Never have I ever _dated_ someone who caused an explosion by sneezing.”

“You’ve got to be _kidding me_!”

With only six fingers left, and as the only person with less than eight, Weiss stared Yang down and cried out, “Yang, I swear to the gods, if you-”

“Never have I ever personally paid for anything worth more than 200 lien,” Yang announced without missing a beat.

“I hate all of you,” Weiss grunted, putting her fifth finger down and conceding defeat.

“We love you, too, Weiss!” Ruby giggled, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek and wrapping her in a hug.

As Ruby let go, Weiss’ face was bright red. “I-”

“Ruby!!” a small voice announced suddenly.

The young student was caught off guard when she noticed her little cousin racing towards her. Oscar energetically jumped into Ruby’s arms to give her a big hug. When she caught him, Ruby smiled, wondering, “Oscar, oh my gosh, where did you come from?”

Right on cue, her uncle made an appearance and greeted, “Hello, girls.”

The four girls responded in unison, “Hey, Uncle Oz.”

“Care to join us?” Yang offered.

“We’re playing ‘Never have I ever’!” Ruby elaborated as she set Oscar down and moved over so he could sit.

Blake corrected, “Well, right now we’re really just using it as an excuse to make fun of Weiss.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot,” Oz chuckled. “I have some business I need to attend to. But I do have a small favor to ask…”

“You need us to watch Oscar?” Yang guessed.

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Not at all!” Ruby promised.

“We’d be happy to!” Yang agreed.

“Thank you, girls. Oscar, are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Oscar rested his head on Ruby’s shoulder, as if to demonstrate how comfortable he was staying with them, before answering, “Yeah. I’ll be fine, Dad.”

“Don’t worry,” Yang interjected. “We’ll make sure he stays in line!”

“He’s not exactly the one I’m worried about when it comes to misbehaving,” Oz said while shooting his niece a suspicious glance.

“What ever do you mean?” Ruby asked innocently.

Yang added, “Misbehave? Us? Never!”

Oz held Yang’s gaze- a clear indication that he wasn’t buying it.

“That’s why we’re here,” Weiss reminded him.

“Yeah,” Blake chimed in. “They’ll watch Oscar and we’ll watch them.”

Weiss grumbled under her breath, “Gods know these two could always use extra supervision.”

“Hey!” the sisters objected.

Oscar laughed at his cousins’ offended outburst.

“I appreciate it,” Oz said. “Have fun.”

As Oz started to walk away, Oscar quickly popped up from his place on the ground and hugged Oz’s leg before he left.

“Bye, Dad!”

“Bye, son,” Oz stopped in his tracks and hugged Oscar back. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

Oscar plopped down, resuming his seat next to Ruby. A clamor of “goodbye”s and “see you later”s emanated from the group as Oz made his exit for good.

“What do we want to do now?” Ruby asked.

Yang suggested, “How about we show Oscar around Beacon?”

“Yes, please!” Oscar nodded emphatically.

“Alright, Oscar,” Ruby prompted. “What do you want to see first?”

The seven-year-old stroked his chin for a moment. It only took him a few seconds to figure out which building on campus he wanted to visit immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~

The library. No one was surprised when the answer spilled out of Oscar’s mouth.

As soon as they reached their destination, Blake took Oscar on a quick lap around the building, explaining the sections and how to find specific books as best she could. The rest of Team RWBY secured a table and settled into their own activities.

When Blake and Oscar returned, the little kid had a stack of five books in his hands and a smile on his face. He immediately sat down and began reading, as did Blake. Meanwhile, Weiss was attempting to get some homework done and, even though their team leader had all of her books laid out in front of her, Ruby was playing a fighting game with Yang on their scrolls.

For about fifteen minutes, their group was relatively quiet, except, of course, for the occasional “ha, got you!” or “no fair!” coming from Ruby or Yang as they played their game. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the hum of the library.

“Hey, guys!”

They all looked up to see Team JNPR approaching their table.

“Well if it isn’t the second best team at Beacon Academy,” Yang taunted.

“Second to none!” Nora protested. “You wanna go, Xiao Long?”

“Bring it, Valkyrie!”

Jaune sighed, “Could you two go maybe, like, five minutes without challenging each other to a fight?”

“No!” the girls answered.

“Well, I tried.”

“Not to intrude but, um, who is this?” Pyrrha wondered, politely gesturing towards Oscar. The young boy was now huddling close to Blake, clearly a little uneasy about the new people who just appeared.

“Oh no, did you guys kidnap a child?” Jaune worried.

“And you didn’t invite me?!” Nora was offended.

“Nora!”

“What?” Ruby said. “No!”

“Of course not!” Weiss insisted.

“I, for one, would really appreciate it if you didn’t accuse us of kidnapping the headmaster’s child. Very loudly. In public,” Blake added.

“The headmaster’s child?” Pyrrha repeated.

Jaune stuttered, “Y- You mean-”

“Oh. My. _Gods_!!!” Nora exclaimed. “He’s a little baby Oz!!!!!!!!”

“I was not aware that Professor Ozpin had a child,” Ren observed.

“It’s a relatively new development,” Ruby explained.

“Yeah! Him and Uncle Qrow adopted Oscar a little over a month ago,” Yang elaborated.

“That’s wonderful!” Pyrrha celebrated.

“It’s nice to meet you, Oscar! I’m Jaune.”

“My name’s Pyrrha.”

“Ren.”

“Nora!”

“Hi…” Oscar said weakly.

“He’s a little shy,” Yang told them.

“That’s alright,” Jaune shrugged. “We get it.”

Ruby announced, “We were actually just about to show Oscar around campus a little more.”

“Care to join us?” Yang asked.

“Sure.”

“Why not?”

“We’d love to!”

“Let’s go!”

Invitation accepted, Team RWBY packed up their books and headed out. Oscar was disappointed that he had to return the books he borrowed, but Ruby reminded him that they would always be in the library for his next visit.

The herd of students sauntered around campus while showing little Oscar everything Beacon had to offer. They didn’t dwell too much on the dorms and classrooms, but they did stop by the training arena where they were able to catch the end of a sparring match. As they watched what looked like two teammates practicing hand-to-hand combat, Ruby noticed that nothing could tear Oscar’s attention away from the action. Eventually, the pair of students finished up and a new pair, ready to fight, took their place. Ruby had to grab Oscar’s hand and drag him out of the building before the new combatants captured his attention permanently.

Continuing on their tour, Teams RWBY and JNPR pointed out the locker rooms on a whim but stayed on the topic for a while when they realized that it was the location where most of them met for the first time. As they passed the cafeteria, they regaled one of their favorite stories from their first year at Beacon: the infamous food fight. Their banter and bickering about who “won” the competition had Oscar laughing so hard his stomach hurt. Last but not least, they showed Oscar around the CCT. The building caught the child’s eye because he said it “looked like something out of a sci-fi story.” Ruby was more than happy to use their surprising visit as an excuse to recount the story of her first date with Weiss- a story that everyone, except Oscar, was tired of hearing.

As the clock struck two in the afternoon, Ruby’s scroll lit up, a picture of her uncle reading to her cousin suddenly appearing on the screen (the new ID photo courtesy of her Uncle Qrow constantly taking secret pictures of his husband and son whenever he sent his niece an update). Of course, it was her Uncle Oz, asking to meet on the front steps of the CCT. After all, it was the biggest building on campus and, quite frankly, impossible to miss. Luckily, the group just finished up their tour of the place, making the walk very short.

Ruby graciously offered to take Oscar herself, allowing the other students to depart. They said their goodbyes, everyone, including all of Team JNPR, getting a hug from Oscar before they left.

The two cousins waited for a few minutes, their steady conversation interrupted when Ruby spotted the man they were looking for. “There he is!”

“Dad!”

Oscar raced towards his father and launched himself into the air. Oz caught his son with ease, using his momentum to lift Oscar and rest the child on his hip.

“Well now, you seem very energetic,” Oz smiled. “I take it you had a good day with Team RWBY?”

“Yeah! Blake showed me around the library, I met more of Ruby and Yang’s friends, and they told me all about the food fight they had!” Oscar explained through a giggle.

“Oh dear, I almost forgot about that little… incident.”

“We also got to watch a fight!”

“You what?”

As Ruby approached, she saw her uncle’s eyes flash with concern as he shot her a terrified look that clearly meant, “what exactly is my son talking about?” 

“He means a training session,” Ruby quickly clarified. “We showed him around campus a little and when we went into the practice arena there was a team there getting some extra work in.”

“I see,” Oz nodded, his expression softening. “Well I’m glad you had fun. Thank you for watching him.”

“Anytime!” Ruby insisted. She hesitated a moment before wrapping her arms around both of them. “I’m glad we got to show you around, Oscar,” she added as she released the hug. “Before you know it, you’ll be a student here yourself!”

“Well, we don’t have to be thinking that far ahead,” Oz hoped.

“I can’t wait to be a student here!” Oscar exclaimed. “Who knows? Maybe one day _I’ll_ be the headmaster of Beacon!”

After hearing Oscar’s proclamation, Ruby could have sworn she saw a flicker of pride in her uncle’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once, I really don't have any end notes except for the usual XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, all feedback is appreciated, stay safe!! :)


	14. When the Angel Sings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz and Qrow welcome their fourth and final member of the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I this predictable? This is why I didn't promise that we would be done at fourteen. This chapter ended up being too long so we're adding ***another one*** I'm not gonna say it. I will stick with not promising anything. Ok, rant over. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm very excited for everyone to meet the newest member of the Branwen-Pine family XD
> 
> **Reminder** : for updates on this story and drabbles set in this AU you can follow me on Tumblr @rwby-teamrwby-leaderruby! Ok, that is all XD

“What? Do you think we shouldn’t?” Qrow wondered, the excited light in his eyes dimming at Oz’s less than enthusiastic response.

Oz quickly assured, “No, I think it’s a wonderful idea, I simply…”

“Weren’t expecting me to be the one to bring it up?” Qrow realized.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Well, you know me. Full of surprises.”

“Indeed,” Oz agreed as he brought his mug up to his lips. 

Oz was pretty sure he now understood how Qrow felt when he brought up the topic of adoption almost a year ago. It wasn’t exactly a casual conversation for a couple to have. Nonetheless, here they were, once again, standing in the kitchen, both men leaning against the counter, discussing their next big step.

Oz set his drink down next to him before questioning, “Can I ask what prompted this suggestion?”

“I dunno. I guess these last few months have shown me a thing or two.”

“Hm? Like what?”

The headmaster had a feeling he knew what Qrow meant, he just wanted to hear his husband say it out loud.

“Like, for instance, _maybe_ it’s possible that you… were right… this time.”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Oz teased, cupping his ear like he needed the aid to hear. “I didn’t quite hear you.”

“Shut up!” Qrow said with a playful grin. “Gods, you’re obnoxious.”

“So I’ve been told,” Oz recalled as he picked up his hot cocoa again.

“In all seriousness,” Qrow continued, “the past six months, with Oscar and you, have been…”

“Reassuring.”

“Yeah, sure,” Qrow laughed.

“Is there a reason number two?”

“No… should there be?”

A second question lurked in the back of Oz’s mind. Another question Oz was pretty sure he already knew the answer to. 

The words spilled out of Oz’s mouth. “Is this because you want a daughter?”

Qrow’s eyes went wide as he fumbled to answer, “I- I don’t- I just think it’d be good for- you know- for Oscar to have a sibling.”

An unspoken sentiment hung in the air: _the sibling I had and lost_. 

For all the grief she caused by disappearing, Raven still left quite the mark on her twin brother. Qrow confided in Oz many times that, even though he hated admitting it, Raven was the main reason he survived while growing up with the Branwen tribe. It came as no surprise that Qrow wanted his son to have someone else to look after him, just in case.

Oz gave his husband a peck on the cheek before smiling, “I think you’re absolutely right, love.”

“What’s Dad right about?” a voice said from behind.

Qrow turned around to see Oscar sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter. “Shit, where did you come from?”

“Qrow, please do not curse at our son.”

“I didn’t curse _at_ him. I cursed in front of him.”

A side-eyed glance from Oz and a smirk from Qrow was all it took for the two to drop the subject.

The seven-year-old wondered, “What were you guys talking about?”

“Should we tell him?” Qrow asked.

“We might as well,” Oz shrugged.

“Does that mean it’s official?”

“Seriously,” Oscar emphasized, “what are you _talking_ about???”

Finally, Oz answered the boy’s question, “Oscar, how would you feel about having a sibling?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Six months later, the hypothetical became a reality when the three boys welcomed their fourth, and final, member of the family: Aaliyah Cael.

Aaliyah was a six year old girl from Vale with striking icy blue eyes, long jet black hair, and skin the color of beach sand.

The circumstances that led to Ali’s being orphaned were rather shocking. Aaliyah’s mother fell fatally ill about two years ago, when the girl was only four. The news of the fatal illness hit her father hard- so hard, in fact, that he couldn’t handle it. One morning, Aaliyah woke up and her father was simply nowhere to be found. Her mother powered through, doing what she could to care for Ali everyday, though her own health was rapidly deteriorating. Dawn Cael’s health failed a mere five months ago, leaving her daughter to fend for herself.

Oz and Qrow were told all of this and more about the girl’s past, including that she was there when her mother flatlined in the hospital. It became immediately clear that Ali had already experienced a lifetime of trauma and she was only six years old, which was one of many things that drew the couple’s attention to her. Their interest in adopting the child only grew when Ali responded positively to Oz, Qrow, and Oscar during the initial visitations.

“Oz, we are so screwed,” Qrow confided in Oz that night.

“Oh? And why is that?”

“I already love the kid.”

It was a mirror image of the conversation they had after they met Oscar for the first time. Unfortunately, this time was slightly more complicated. Apparently, Ali had had emotional outbursts when meeting with three other families, all of which had to turn away and adopt a different child for fear that Ali would never be able to adapt. Many were concerned about what this meant for Ali’s chances of being adopted.

Regardless, the Branwen-Pine family had a much different experience.

Aaliyah didn’t engage right away. She was shy and offered short answers, but she stayed calm throughout the entire visit.

At first, Oz and Qrow talked about themselves and Oscar and Ruby and Yang, trying to describe to Ali what it would be like for her if she were to be adopted by them. They even explained Qrow’s semblance to her upfront in an effort to avoid repeating the mistake they made with Oscar. Ali didn’t seem to care. She sat quietly and listened intently to everything they told her. Even though she didn’t say much of anything, the two parents were later told that their visit was the best response Ali had to meeting a prospective family.

When the adoption finally went through the couple was warned to take things slow and not expect too much from the child at first. If Qrow was being honest, he didn’t quite understand what that meant until they brought her home.

Like clockwork, the first weekend Ali was with them they took their regular family trip to Vale, complete with breakfast at the diner, a trip to the arcade, and a shopping spree at the bookstore. It was at the diner that the sentiment of “not expecting too much” from Ali became clear.

“We come here every other weekend!” Oscar exclaimed as they settled into a booth.

“Yeah, Oscar has become sort of attached to the place,” Qrow explained.

“We even came here my first weekend with them,” the eight-year-old recalled. “It’s like tradition!”

Ali only nodded, a neutral expression set in her features. Oz and Qrow exchanged a concerned glance. Oz wondered, “Is there anything you’d like to do while we’re in the city today, Aaliyah?”

“Not really,” Ali shook her head. “I don’t know much about the city of Vale. Mom and I don’t get to go very often.”

An alarm went off in Qrow’s mind when he realized Ali was referring to her mother in the present tense.

“Well,” Oz added, “if you think of anything you want to add to today’s activities all you have to do is ask.”

“Ok, I will. Thank you.”

On and on the conversation went. Ali kept talking about her mom in the present tense while being super polite and formal with Oz and Qrow. It made two things perfectly clear: she missed her mother beyond belief and she did not see them as her family. The only family she had was gone.

Ali’s interactions with them weren't negative, just stiff. She acted as though she was at a friend’s house, meeting someone else’s family. Qrow could only hope that she would adjust overtime, but it pierced his heart like a dagger every time he heard Ali say “my mom is…”

Ali was not as excited as Oscar was for the trip to the bookstore, but she did manage to find a book that caught her eye. The way Ali sped through reading her new book gave Oscar an idea.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Oscar shared all of his books with his sister, sparking Ali's interest not only in reading, but in pretending to be the hero of her own story. As a result, Oz and Qrow now regularly found their kids playing imaginary games of adventure and exploration. One day their living room would be the deserts of Vacuo, the next it was the tundras of Solitas. No matter what the setting of the adventure, there were always two brave hunters there to save the day.

“And what is the story this time?” Oz asked fondly as he stood in the kitchen, watching the kids run around the living room. He couldn't tell what they were doing, but they were definitely enjoying themselves.

Qrow explained, “Buried treasure in the mountains of Mistral.”

“That’s a new one,” Oz hummed.

“At least they’re working together in this story.”

“Come on, Ali,” Oscar announced, “we have to find the magic gem before someone else does!”

Oz recalled, “Ah, yes, I remember when the Vytal Festival sparked their more… competitive nature.”

“That’s a nice way of saying ‘they were beating the shit out of each other for a while.’”

Oz let out a small laugh; his husband wasn't wrong. When Oz turned his attention back to the children he noticed that Oscar was now standing on the coffee table.

“Oh no,” Qrow said.

A fist raised in triumph, Oscar stood on the furniture holding the “gem” that was clearly a baseball painted blue. “We found it, Ali!”

“Careful, Oscar! It could be a trap!”

“Oscar,” Qrow warned, “please don’t climb-”

Qrow didn't even have time to finish reprimanding his son before a loud _crack_ resonated through the house. “Whoa!” Oscar shouted as he tumbled to the floor. As Oscar stood and dusted himself off, Ali was doubled over having a laughing fit.

“Guess that wasn’t the best idea with Dad around, huh?” Oscar laughed.

“I told you it might be a trap!”

The kids laughed and giggled as they ran into the kitchen, content with their adventure being over now that they achieved their goal and broke some furniture in the process. Of course, their parents couldn’t even pretend to be mad. With Qrow around, at least one random object in the house broke every two or so weeks. It was simply part of the routine.

As the months passed, Oz, Oscar, and Ali continued to bond over stories and books. Oz was thrilled every time the kids asked him to recite a famous fairytale for them right before bed. They would cuddle close to their father and hang on his every word as their eyes grew heavy and sleepiness overtook them. It was, without a doubt, Qrow’s favorite scene to walk in on.

Of course, that didn’t stop Qrow from poking fun at them every now and then. More than a few times, he found Oz and the kids sitting in the living room, reading in silence, all mesmerized by their own stories. The conversation would almost always go the same way.

“How is it that I got stuck with a family of nerds, huh?” Qrow would smirk.

“Well, first you married one,” Oscar pointed out.

“Then you adopted _two_!” Ali added.

Oz chimed in, “I have to agree with the children this time. You have no one to blame but yourself, darling.”

“Uh huh, and apparently I also got stuck with a family of smartasses, too.”

With every passing day, Ali seemed to get more and more comfortable with them. And although she never objected to being thought of and referred to as family, she refused to use the terms “dad” or “brother” herself. Slowly but surely they were gaining her trust, but the situation was fragile. One wrong move could send them back to square one.

~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of heavy crying hit them like a sledgehammer as soon as they opened the door. It didn’t take a detective to locate the source of the sobs. Aaliyah was sitting on the couch, knees curled up to her chest, head down, arms wrapped around her legs as she bawled. Qrow, Oz, and Oscar didn’t hesitate to respond. “Aaliyah!”

The trio raced to her side. Oz sat to her right, Qrow to her left, as Oscar stood in front of her. Suddenly her breath hitched and the crying became louder, she choked and struggled to suck in a single breath. There was no way to see the tears the way her face was buried in her legs, but Qrow knew they were there, and they were flowing like a river.

“Ali! Angel, what’s wrong?” Qrow asked.

They were only gone for an hour. They didn’t think anything of it.

Ali didn’t even lift her head to choke out, “You left! You left me a- all-”

She couldn’t force out the rest of the sentence, but Qrow could guess how it was supposed to go: “You left me all alone.”

The six-year-old was still fast asleep when they left to run some errands earlier that morning. They weren’t expecting to be very long, so Oz and Qrow decided to let their youngest child sleep, assuming that she wouldn’t even be awake when they returned- an assumption that proved incorrect.

“We’re here now, we didn’t mean to scare you,” Qrow explained.

“But you _left_ ,” Ali shouted, finally lifting her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, the trails the tears left on her face still glistening. “You left me…”

Neither Qrow nor Oz knew what to say. She was right. They left. They should have known better. It was an avoidable mistake.

At a loss for words, Qrow tried to reach out and pull his daughter into a hug, but she quickly stretched her arms out to push him away. “You left me,” she screeched. “You promised you wouldn’t leave, you _promised_!”

Ali’s last word came out through a cough. The final cry for help sapped what was left of the child’s energy. Suddenly, she collapsed into Qrow’s arms, continuing to sob uncontrollably.

“Shhhh, it’s alright. We’re here. We’re sorry, Ali.”

It was all Qrow could think to say as he held her, tears soaking into his shirt as Ali whimpered “You left” over and over again. Gently, Qrow stroked Ali’s hair as he repeated “We’re sorry” in the most calming voice he could muster. He looked up and caught Oz’s eyes. The expression on his husband’s face said it all: “We did this.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day was their own doing. 

For the first hour or so after Ali stopped crying she insisted on being carried around, throwing a fit whenever Oz or Qrow tried to put her down. At least one of them had to be holding her until about eleven in the morning when she finally felt calm enough to walk on her own. Even then, she refused to leave either Oz or Qrow’s side- afraid that if she let them both out of her sight they would never come back. The trust they had built up over the past four months shattered like glass. One mistake was all it took.

The parents were relieved when, at the end of the day, all it took was a promise to wake Ali up in the morning and a reminder that they were right down the hall for her to go to bed on her own.

Finally, at about 11pm, the couple climbed into bed themselves.

“Are we bad parents?” Qrow asked as he laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

When Oz remained silent, Qrow knew they were in trouble.

“What? Nothing?” Qrow prompted. “No wisdom to impart, great wizard?”

Oz sighed, “You know how I hate it when you call me that.”

“It’s a common nickname for someone who constantly gives advice! It’s not my fault you actually are one.”

Another silent spell made Qrow turn his head to look at his partner. He was relieved to see a smile playing at Oz’s lips. Qrow continued to tease him. “But, hey, if you’ve got nothing to say this time…”

“We could always look on the bright side,” Oz said.

“Of course. The bright side. Your favorite side of things,” Qrow scoffed, rolling over and propping his head up with his right hand. “And what is the bright side of this, magic one?”

Oz paused to give his husband a side-eyed glance.

“Too much?” Qrow smirked.

“Too much.”

“Sorry.”

Oz elaborated, “The bright side is that she wanted to stay with us.”

“Sure,” Qrow shrugged, “but she only clung to us all day because we broke her trust.”

“I don’t mean just today. Do you know what her clinging to us tells me?”

“No, but I’m sure you’re gonna share.”

Oz managed a weak smile. “She wants to trust us again. She wants to believe that the trust she had in us wasn’t misplaced. She wants to be…”

“A part of the family.”

“Yes,” Oz nodded.

“Ok,” Qrow grunted as he shimmied across the bed to get closer to Oz, “you get to keep your wise wizard status for now.”

Oz wrapped his arm around his husband as Qrow snuggled close and rested his head on Oz’s chest.

“I didn’t realize it was a title I could lose,” Oz chuckled.

“It is,” Qrow perked his head up to confirm. “But I don’t see you losing it anytime soon.”

A quick kiss on the lips left a smile on Qrow’s face as he said, “Goodnight, Oz.”

“Goodnight, Qrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A bloodcurdling scream resonated throughout the house- a cry for help neither man could ignore.

“Ali!” Oz and Qrow both realized after being jolted awake at gods know what hour of the night.

The couple jumped out of bed with zero hesitation, making a beeline for their daughter’s room. When they threw the door open, they found Ali sitting up in bed, bawling her eyes out. A scene way too reminiscent of the one they encountered that morning.

Oz quickly took a seat on the side of Ali’s bed, ready to ask her what happened. He didn’t get a chance to say a word before Ali grabbed onto him for dear life. With Ali in such a panicked state it seemed futile to start asking her questions. Oz gave her a second to collect herself. After a moment, he wondered, “Ali, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

Still weeping, Ali managed to answer, “I- you- there was no one here. It was dark a- and empty and scary and I was alone!”

A nightmare. Most likely a result of them leaving her without warning. One thought played relentlessly in Oz’s head as he held his daughter: We’re fully to blame for this.

As Ali’s cries began to soften, Qrow knelt down next to the bed, unsure of what else he could do. Oz held her tight, calmly repeating the phrase “It was just a dream, you’re alright,” the guilt eating away at him with every uttering.

Suddenly, a small figure stood in the doorway.

“What’s going on?” Oscar didn’t need anyone to answer his question. Seeing his sister having another breakdown was enough. “Ali!”

Oscar ran into the room and effortlessly jumped onto the bed.

“Oscar!” Ali released her grip on Oz and turned to hug her brother. The siblings embraced for a few moments as Ali’s crying subsided and her breathing steadied. When she was ready, she let go and wiped her eyes.

“You ok?” Oscar checked.

“Yeah, I am now,” Ali promised, her voice weak.

Qrow sighed, “Alright, let’s get you two back to bed.”

“Really?” Oscar wondered.

“No! Please!” Ali pleaded.

“Can’t we sleep with you guys tonight?” Oscar suggested.

“ _We_?” Qrow repeated indignantly.

“Yeah!”

“Please…”

Qrow shook his head and shot his husband a look that begged the question: “What do we do?”

The answer seemed obvious. Ali had a nightmare because of their mistake and that nightmare caused her to scream in the middle of the night and freak Oscar out. What were they supposed to say?

“Alright,” Qrow sighed. “But this will not become a regular thing, understood?”

“Understood!” the kids agreed.

“Ok, c’mere, kiddo.”

A grunt escaped Qrow’s mouth as he lifted Oscar off the bed. Oz followed Qrow’s lead, picking Ali up and heading into their shared bedroom. The pair set the kids down and crawled into bed next to them. Immediately, Ali clung to Oz, draping her arm across his chest and nestling herself into the crook of his arm. Less urgently, Oscar mimicked his sister’s position, cuddling close to Qrow and getting comfortable. Before she settled in, Ali squirmed enough for Oz to become concerned.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Alright.” Oz kissed the top of his daughter’s head. “Goodnight, Aaliyah.”

Ali’s voice was fading and tired. “Goodnight, Dad.”

Oz closed his eyes if only for a second before they snapped open again. 

Did he hear that correctly? He was so tired he almost missed it. The dopey smile on Qrow’s face indicated Oz wasn’t delirious. Qrow heard it, too.

_Dad…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this is the only chapter in this story that I nicked the title from a song XD for me, that is an impressive feat lol.
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had some of these ideas for _months_ and it felt really good to finally write them out. All feedback and comments are appreciated! Stay safe, everyone!


	15. Things are Looking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaliyah finally gets a chance to meet her cousins. Qrow and Oz reflect on just how far they've come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIFTEEN. THAT'S THE FINAL NUMBER, I PROMISE XD the final chapter is 100% FLUFF which, in fairness, was the goal all along. I'm very excited to share this chapter, I think it came out really well. I hope you enjoy the conclusion! :D
> 
>  **Reminder** : for updates on this story and drabbles set in this AU you can follow me on Tumblr @[zacs-of-rwby!](https://zacs-of-rwby.tumblr.com/post/) Ok, that is all XD

Oz and Qrow were worried. After the incident of leaving Ali home alone they knew they were on thin ice. For the next week, the parents were extra diligent in making sure that both kids knew where they were at all times, even if they were just leaving the room for a moment. Before they left the house, Oz and Qrow always told Oscar and Ali when to expect them home, and they were always on time. It may have been a little excessive, but the siblings knew exactly why their dads were being so careful, and they were more than happy to cooperate. Ali appreciated the adjustment. One unexpected mental breakdown was enough. Nobody wanted to see a sequel.

Of course, it was just Qrow’s luck that they would fuck up now.

After four months of waiting, Ruby and Yang were finally ready to meet their newest little cousin. The plans were all but set in stone. However, Oz and Qrow’s mistake had the potential to throw a wrench in those plans. Qrow was prepared for Ali to back out of meeting extended family for now. Hell, it took three months to get the six-year-old to agree to meet Ruby and Yang in the first place. But, to Qrow’s relief, Ali promised not to cancel after seeing her dads’ effort to make amends.

In the interest of not overwhelming Ali too much, they stuck to their usual Saturday routine and simply invited Ruby and Yang to breakfast. The family of four sat in the diner, at a booth- Qrow and Ali on one side, Oscar and Oz on the other- waiting for the sisters to arrive.

“Where are they?” Oscar complained. “We’ve been waiting a while…”

“Yeah, well, Ruby and Yang were never very punctual,” Qrow explained, eyes glued to the menu in his hands.

“That’s an understatement,” Oz added.

“Nevermind,” the eight-year-old amended. “I found them!”

Ecstatically, Oscar started waving both arms above his head in an attempt to get Ruby and Yang’s attention. It didn’t take long for them to spot him. The future huntresses approached the table with smiles on their faces.

“Nice of you to finally show up,” Qrow teased.

Ruby awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, we may or may not have missed the first shuttle out of Beacon…”

Yang recovered, “But the good news is we were early for the second one!”

A small laugh rose from the table as the occupants moved over to make room for the new arrivals. Ruby took the seat next to Oscar while Yang sat next to her Uncle Qrow. As soon as Ruby touched the seat she received a warm welcome hug from Oscar. Still holding on to her cousin, Ruby asserted, “Four months is too long between hanging out with you guys!” 

“Agreed!” Yang said. “This better not become a habit!”

“Well, we’ve been a little busy these last few months,” Qrow reminded them.

It occurred to Ali that the “busy” Qrow was talking about was her adoption. As a result of her realization, a shy smile spread across the child’s face and she hung on Qrow’s arm.

“Of course, I almost forgot,” Ruby gasped as she released her hug with Oscar, “it’s nice to finally meet you, Aaliyah!”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Ali answered softly.

Yang stretched her arm over the table and pointed a closed fist at the six-year-old. “Can I get an ‘introductory fist bump’?” she requested.

Ali hesitated but, after a second, she obliged. A collective ‘yay’ emanated from the table and Qrow lightly shook his arm as if to say “good job.” Ali giggled at the overly positive response. She refused to let go of Qrow’s arm as the conversation progressed.

“And what have you girls been up to?” Oz asked, shifting focus back to the sisters. Ali was grateful for the topic change.

“What?” Yang joked. “Like you don’t already know?”

“I thought you knew everything that happened at your school!” Ruby laughed.

Oz clarified, “I’m informed about your education, I’m not omniscient.”

Both girls laughed before Yang offered a real response. “Honestly? We haven’t been up to much.”

“Yeah,” Ruby continued, “this year has actually been pretty hard so far.”

“Even Weiss and Blake are struggling to keep up!”

”But we’re making it work! Lots of studying with other teams, trying to work together.”

“Yeah! Our goal this year is to be the highest graded team in our class!”

“That’s pretty ambitious,” Qrow nodded. “I like it.”

“As do I,” Oz smiled.

“I think Yang just wants to break another record before we graduate.”

Yang admitted, “That might be a part of it.”

“ _Another_ record?” Ali asked, unable to ignore the implication.

“What record do you have now?” Oscar wondered.

Yang jumped at the chance to brag, “Right now we have the youngest student _and_ the youngest team leader ever to attend Beacon!”

“Yang, stop!” Ruby complained. Her smile betrayed her annoyed tone. “You don’t have to tell everyone.”

“Why not? I’m proud of my baby sister!”

“How many times do I have to tell you!? I’m not your _baby_ sister anymore!”

“Wrong. You’ll _always_ be a baby to me!”

“Ugh, stop!”

“Wait,” Oscar interrupted, “Ruby is the youngest student ever to attend Beacon? How did that happen?”

“Why don’t you ask your dad?” Ruby laughed, nudging Oscar and pointing a thumb at her uncle.

Oscar turned to look at Oz. “You let Ruby into Beacon early?”

Hesitantly, the headmaster answered, “Yes, as a matter of fact I did.” It was almost like he forgot.

“That’s how Ruby and Yang ended up on the same team?” Oscar questioned.

The answer took the form of a silent nod “yes.”

A gasp from Oscar alerted everyone that the boy got an idea. “Does that mean you could let Ali into Beacon early?!?!”

Ali’s eyes sparked with joy as she realized where Oscar was going with this. “That way me and Oscar could be on the same team, too!”

“Wait, hold on,” Qrow interjected, “that is _not_ happening.”

“Your father is correct,” Oz agreed. “Neither of you will be skipping _two years_ of training at Signal.”

“Oh, come on!” Oscar whined.

“That’s not fair!” Ali claimed. “You did it for Ruby!”

“I did, and there was a good reason for it,” Oz said. “A reason that does not apply here.”

Oscar shrugged, “What reason was that?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

“Ugh, I hate it when you say that,” Ali sighed, letting go of Qrow’s arm as she fell back in her seat in exasperation.

“Aaliyah, don’t feel bad!” Ruby chimed in. “It’s not that great anyway. I had to leave all my friends behind at Signal and sometimes it feels like I missed a lot skipping those two years!”

“If you missed so much then how did you become team leader?” the six-year-old interrogated.

It did not take much for Ruby to break. “I… well, it helped that I trained with your dads...”

“Exactly!” Ali exclaimed. “And I will, too!”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Oz, I tried.”

“That’s alright, Ruby,” Oz chuckled. “I appreciate the effort.”

The kids refused to drop the subject. They spent the next few minutes trying to convince Oz that he should let Ali enroll early. Even Oscar’s “Please, Dad” gambit proved futile. That’s when the kids realized they were fighting a losing battle. Finally, they called it quits.

From there, the topic of conversation shifted, the younger pair of siblings throwing questions about going to Beacon at their more experienced cousins. Occasionally, their discussion was interrupted by the waitress asking for orders, bringing food, and, finally, bringing the check. At the end of breakfast, the sisters said their goodbyes while making their uncles promise not to wait so long to schedule their next get together. Ruby also reminded them that Ali wasn’t off the hook yet. Weiss and Blake would continue to wait patiently, but they did want to meet Aaliyah eventually.

Although the introductions went well, Ali was hesitant to give hugs before the girls left, so she opted for high fives instead. She reached ‘comfortable hanging out as friends’ level with Ruby and Yang. It was a promising start to say the least.

~~~~~~~~~~

One thing was clear: they were making progress.

Later that afternoon, as soon as they got home, Ali and Oscar bolted into the backyard, excited to use what Ruby and Yang had told them about training in their imaginary game of adventure. The siblings wanted to have fun, but the more accurate it was the more excited they both became for the real thing.

For the past week, whenever the kids went outside, Ali insisted that at least one of their parents stay on the deck and watch. She asked under the guise of wanting them to “watch this” or suggesting that they participate themselves, but Oz and Qrow knew the real reason. Whether she knew it or not, Ali’s anxiety warned her that it would be very easy for her dads to sneak out while her and Oscar were distracted in the backyard. However, they must have been doing something right, because for the first time in a week, Ali told Qrow that he didn’t have to watch them as long as he stayed in the house.

Now, Qrow sat on the couch, on his scroll, taking time to unwind. A cool breeze swept through the open back door, carrying the kids’ laughs and shouts with it. Eventually, the noise blended into the background and the huntsman almost forgot that anyone else was home.

“Dad,” an adolescent voice prompted.

Qrow was so preoccupied with the device in his hand he didn’t even hear his daughter come into the house. “Hey, Ali, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“I need a band-aid,” the six-year old whimpered as she raised her left hand to reveal a deep gash that ran the width of her palm. Qrow’s eyes went wide at the sight of blood slowly dripping down Ali’s arm. It looked like she would need something stronger than a band-aid. How was she not crying from the pain?

“My gods,” Qrow gasped. “What happened?”

“Nothing!” Ali insisted, her voice straining to hold back tears. “It was an accident.”

“Come on. Let’s get you patched up.”

Qrow led Ali into the kitchen and lifted her up onto the counter next to the sink. The child stretched out her left hand as Qrow flicked on the tap. Gently, Qrow washed the dirt and blood from the wound, letting the cascading water do most of the work before carefully dabbing at it with a dish towel. “This is a deep gash, kiddo,” the huntsman observed. “What kind of accident was this, exactly?”

Ali winced as Qrow scrubbed what was left of the dirt away. “Oscar and I were running around outside and I tripped and fell. I landed on my hands and knees but I think there was something sharp sticking out of the ground. It sliced my hand open when I landed. It’s not a big deal, though, it was just-”

“A bit of bad luck,” Qrow guessed, flipping the tap off and drying the cut as best he could.

“I guess, yeah.”

Throwing the towel to the side, Qrow grabbed some gauze and a roll of medical tape. He slowly wrapped the medical tape around Ali’s hand to secure the bandages over the cut. Guilt washed over him as he saw the blood already begin to soak through. “I’m sorry, Ali, I-”

“It’s ok, Dad,” Ali said, not letting her father finish his sentence. “You don’t have to say sorry. It might have happened anyway!” 

Qrow’s hand froze mid-wrap. “Did your father tell you to say that?” 

“Yeah. He said it might make you feel better if something like this happened. Did it work?”

Quickly, Qrow finished dressing the wound as he smiled, “Yeah, Angel. It did.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“It's my turn to pick tonight!”

“No it's not,” Oscar objected, “you picked last time.”

“No I didn't!” Ali insisted. “You did!”

The conversation devolved from there, the siblings talking over one another as their voices blended together and their words became incomprehensible. It only took a second for Qrow to put a stop to it. 

“Alright, alright, enough you two, settle down.”

“He started it…” the younger sibling claimed.

“Did not!”

Other than the constant bickering, the night was quiet and calm. The shattered moon was hanging high in the sky, offering a soft, inviting glow, creating the perfect atmosphere for a late night fairytale. A cool breeze brushed Qrow’s face as he laid in the grass, an arm wrapped around his daughter as she sat up, ready to argue with her brother over which of them got to pick which story Oz would tell this time.

“Ali, if you’re not careful I’ll start with The Girl in the Tower,” Oz teased, knowing full well how much the child detested the tale.

“You wouldn’t!”

“Do it anyway!” the older sibling laughed.

“No! Please don’t!”

“Oh, come on,” Oscar said, his tone more serious, “I actually like that story. Why do you hate it?”

“I don’t know!” Ali admitted. “I just don’t like it. Can’t we pick something else?”

“How about the Grimm Child?” Qrow suggested with a devious smile.

“Nooooooooo!” the kids chorused.

“That's even worse!” Ali complained.

“Yes, I’d prefer that our children actually sleep tonight, darling.”

“It was just a suggestion.”

“Oh! I know!” Oscar announced. “How about the Hunter's Children?”

Ali recalled, “Didn't he retell us that one last time?”

“Oh… yeah.”

“What if I tell a new story tonight?” Oz asked.

“I didn’t know that was an option…” the eight-year-old answered.

“Me either.”

“Is that a ‘yes,’ then?” Oz clarified.

Both kids nodded emphatically, “Yes, please!”

“Alright,” Oz prompted. “Settle down, and I’ll tell you one of my favorite childhood stories.”

The two kids managed to follow their father’s instruction without much trouble. Oscar rested his head on Oz’s left shoulder and hugged the arm Oz had wrapped around him. Ali seemed content sitting up next to Qrow, but her dad overruled her, rolling over, grabbing her, and rolling onto his back again so that they were both looking up at the sky, Ali now lying on Qrow’s chest. His right arm holding Ali close so she didn’t slide off, Qrow felt around the grass with his left hand, the green blades prickling his fingers until, suddenly, he felt another hand slip into his and interlace their fingers. A smile played at Qrow’s lips as his husband continued, “This story is known as ‘The Warrior in the Woods.’”

As Oz recounted the famous fairytale, Qrow admittedly started zoning in and out. Of course, he loved hearing Oz tell stories- any story, really- but, having heard this specific one more times than he could count, it was hard to listen to every word. Whether he was processing the words or not, Oz's voice was undeniably soothing, and Qrow never got tired of hearing it.

Admiring the sound of Oz’s voice while looking up at the stars caused an old memory to resurface. A memory of a simple dinner, an unexpected stop in an antique shop, and a leisurely stroll through Vale, all of which ended with a crystal clear night sky and Oz’s calming voice lulling Qrow to sleep. Until it started pouring down rain, but that was beside the point.

Qrow never would have guessed that their journey would start with a casual dinner invitation and lead to _this_. “This” being the life Qrow never thought he’d be able to have because of his semblance. The life of a husband and a father, all while being sober and healthy, too.

Qrow spent years watching everything he had fall apart. It was a nice change of pace to see everything falling into place.

“That’s the end?” Oscar wondered, the child’s voice jolting Qrow from his mental walk down memory lane.

“That’s so sad!” Ali added.

“Not all stories end with a ‘happily ever after,’” Oz explained somberly. “But that doesn’t make the moral of the story any less powerful.”

“What’s the moral?” Oscar asked, craning his neck to look at Oz for the answer.

“If you can help others, it is your responsibility to do so.”

Oscar turned his attention back to the sky, not really sure how to respond to his father’s life lesson for the night. A moment passed in silence before the eight-year-old put the pieces together.

“Oh, I get it. Like how the warrior helped the village.”

“Or how the boy brought the warrior gifts to thank her,” Ali remembered.

“Exactly,” Oz beamed.

A light squeeze of his hand told Qrow that Oz was absolutely elated. For Oz, a prideful smile and a twitch of his hand was the equivalent of him jumping for joy, and Qrow knew it very well. He couldn’t help but mirror the smile on Oz’s face.

The night fell silent again as the kids processed the story they were told. Finally, Oscar offered a verdict. “I think The Warrior in the Woods is my new favorite.”

“I liked it,” Ali said, “but the Story of the Seasons is still my favorite.”

“Yeah, that’s a good one, too.”

“Can you tell us that one again, Dad?”

“I suppose one more story tonight couldn’t hurt,” Oz agreed, squeezing Oscar a little tighter.

“Yay!” the kids cheered.

As the children went quiet, Oz began to recite the familiar tale. “Deep in the forests of Remnant, beside a great and powerful river, there lived an old wizard…”

~~~~~~~~~~

The kids were half asleep by the time Oz recited the last line of the Story of the Seasons. Of course, that didn’t stop the little ones from complaining when their parents announced that it was time for bed. Qrow graciously offered to handle the chore that was convincing Ali and Oscar they did, in fact, need to sleep at some point.

As Qrow was putting the kids to bed, Oz took the opportunity to lie down on the couch and rest his eyes for a moment. His mind started to wander as he reflected on the day- the time spent with his family, the laughs they shared with Ruby and Yang, the feeling of pride that rose in him whenever Oscar and Ali showed the slightest interest in the meaning behind his words. Oz was grateful for all of it. This- starting a family- was something he wanted to do ever since he became the headmaster of Beacon. Falling in love with the students and teaching always made him wonder what it would be like to raise a child himself. He had vague ideas. Snippets of memories from former lives of what it was like to fall in love and start a family constantly faded into his consciousness, like a dream he was disappointed to wake up from. But it wasn’t the real thing; it wasn’t his life he was remembering.

Now, somehow, by the grace of the gods, he was actually getting a chance to learn first hand what family really meant.

Oz’s train of thought was derailed as he felt Qrow slowly lie on top of him, the weight mimicking that of a heavy blanket as the huntsman rested his head on his husband’s chest.

“The kids are in bed,” Qrow updated through a sigh. “Hopefully they stay that way ‘til morning.”

A small laugh escaped Oz’s lips. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”

Finding his original position uncomfortable, Qrow carefully adjusted, sliding up and resting his head in the crook of Oz’s neck, his left hand now resting on Oz’s chest, his right arm pinned between the couch and his partner’s back.

As he settled into a more comfortable place, Qrow prompted, “You know, I had a very interesting conversation with our daughter today.”

“Oh?” Oz raised an eyebrow. “Should I be worried?”

“‘Proud’ would probably be more accurate.”

“Really?”

“After she told me how she cut her hand I apologized because- well, you know…”

Oz didn’t answer, staying quiet in anticipation for the punchline.

Qrow continued, “And she responded ‘It could have happened anyway.’ Sound familiar?”

“A little,” the headmaster admitted, grinning from ear to ear. Oz had a habit of using the phrase to remind Qrow that his bad luck didn’t define him and that he didn’t have to apologize for every little thing that went wrong.

“It should,” Qrow agreed. “Because she also said that _you_ were the one who told her to say that.”

Oz’s grin morphed into a proud smirk, but he didn’t say anything. He had been caught red handed. His husband lifted his head to see Oz’s reaction after he stayed silent too long for Qrow’s liking.

Finally, Oz said, “I may have mentioned it once or twice.”

The kiss was so quick Oz could have blinked and missed it, but it left him speechless all the same.

“What-?”

“Thank you,” Qrow smiled. “Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible.”

“You didn’t think what was possible?”

“For me to love you even more.”

Those seven words knocked the wind out of Oz’s lungs. The headmaster was blushing and there was nothing he could do to stop it- which was exactly what Qrow wanted. Oz knew for a fact that Qrow loved to see how flustered Oz got when he made romantic gestures, or said something thoughtful, or found new ways to say “I love you.” Oz knew this because he was guilty of it, too. This was Qrow returning the favor.

After a moment, Oz was able to choke out an answer. “I- I love you, too.”

Qrow laid a proper, softer kiss on his partner’s lips for good measure before returning to his relaxed position, his face now buried in Oz’s neck. As Qrow got comfortable again, Oz held him tighter and closer, finding himself feeling even more grateful for what he had than he was only minutes ago. Who knew that was possible?

Silence coated them like freshly fallen snow, light and refreshing, pure and calm. The peacefulness that accompanied them was almost enough to lull Oz to sleep. On the verge of slipping into a dream world, Oz was jolted awake when Qrow wondered aloud, “Can I ask you a stupid question?”

“You may ask me _a question_ , yes,” Oz allowed.

“When, uh- when did you know you were gonna say ‘yes’?”

“I'm afraid I don't understand.”

Through a sigh, Qrow elaborated, “You once told me that you never planned on proposing or getting married because of- uh- you know, that… thing.”

It wasn’t the most descriptive way to refer to Salem, but it was the code they ended up defaulting to often. The two huntsmen refused to use the immortal’s name when the children were in the house, no matter how unlikely it was that they would overhear. It wasn’t worth the risk.

After a pause, Qrow rephrased his question. “So what made you say yes?”

Searching for a way to explain himself, Oz went silent for a moment. He fondly remembered, clear as day, the thought popping into his head right before Qrow popped the question. His hand automatically started gliding up and down Qrow’s back as he finally articulated his answer. “If I'm being honest, I realized I would say yes only a minute before you asked.”

Qrow sat up, surprised by the timeline. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Oz nodded, his hand shifting to carefully rubbing Qrow’s cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Do you remember the first thing you did when we got home that night?”

“The first thing I did?”

“Mhm.”

The confused look in Qrow’s eyes indicated that he had no idea what Oz was getting at.

Oz continued to gently glide his fingers around his husband’s cheek as he recalled, “You immediately went to the kitchen and-”

“Made your hot chocolate for you,” Qrow remembered suddenly.

A smile played at Oz’s lips as he nodded slowly. “I didn’t even have to ask.”

“That’s all it took?”

“That’s all it took,” Oz repeated. “It was a simple gesture, I know, but it meant something more. It reminded me that you’re always diligent in taking care of the ones you love. You remember the simplest things at exactly the right time. You are still, and always have been, one of the most resilient people I’ve ever met. You even overcame one of the biggest obstacles in your life for… for me.

“And you’re right. I never thought this would be possible because of, well, that _thing_. But it occurred to me that if I was going to spend _this_ lifetime with anyone, I wanted it to be you.”

Proud of his explanation, Oz brushed Qrow’s hair out of his face as he waited for his husband to respond. Qrow’s cheeks went bright red, all of his charm and confidence sucked out of him with one well-phrased speech. The huntsman was lovestruck, unable to speak.

“Was my answer to your satisfaction?” Oz teased, admiring his husband’s flustered silence. Payback truly was a bitch.

Qrow’s confidence returned as he cracked a smile, “ _Such_ an ass.”

“So I’ve-”

“-been told, I know.”

A laugh rose in Oz’s chest. Qrow knew him too well. 

“Can I ask you something?” Oz wondered.

The headmaster continued to run his fingers through his partner’s hair as Qrow nodded, giving him the go-ahead. “When did you know you were going to ask me?”

“You’re joking right?” Qrow raised an eyebrow. “I opened my speech by _telling_ you that.”

“You did no such thing,” Oz stopped playing with Qrow’s hair to object. “You opened the speech by saying you had a plan that you discarded because you wanted to know my answer.”

“You’re forgetting how I brought up the topic in the first place,” Qrow smirked.

Oz’s gaze shifted to the floor as he recalled the night Qrow proposed. As far as he could remember, they got home, Qrow made the hot cocoa, then they talked about… oh.

“No…” Oz gasped, returning his attention to Qrow. “You mean to tell me that the Jaqcues Schnee incident was actually the reason?”

“Yes. Yes it was,” Qrow nodded. The confidence with which he confirmed Oz’s guess was astounding.

“Dear gods, Qrow,” Oz laughed.

“What? It was badass and you looked good doing it. I’m only human, Oz.”

Shaking his head, a huge smile on his face and giddiness in his voice, Oz said, “You’re lucky I love you.”

“That might be the only luck I have going for me,” Qrow grunted as he resumed his position, nestling his head in the crook of Oz’s neck and resting his hand softly on Oz’s chest. The headmaster grabbed Qrow’s hand as he kissed him on the forehead.

There was a deeper meaning behind Qrow’s playful comment- a meaning Oz couldn’t gloss over. “I know your semblance has caused a lot of strife but, honestly, dear, it’s not as bad as you believe it to be.”

“Oh really? What about that time it almost crushed Oscar?”

“We saved him.”

“And when it almost dropped Yang off the side of a cliff?”

“You caught her.”

“What about just today when it sliced our daughter’s hand open?”

“You handled it.”

“How about when it ruined our first date?”

“You and I remember that date _very_ differently,” Oz emphasized, making it clear that Qrow crossed a line. “If you’re referring to the rain I would hardly call that ‘ruining’ the night. In fact, I recall it leading almost directly to something like this.”

Oz gently used his right hand to lift Qrow’s head, not hesitating to place a soft kiss on his partner’s lips as soon as the angle was right. Oz caressed Qrow’s face as he opened his mouth a little more, deepening the kiss. Gingerly, the headmaster pulled away, his partner almost frozen from surprise. The stupid grin on Qrow’s face told Oz that his point had been made crystal clear.

“Ok, that- that might have jogged my memory, a bit,” Qrow stuttered. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”

“I beg to differ.”

Qrow’s grin slowly melted away as he thought of a much less romantic consequence of his misfortune.

“What about what my semblance did to you in the vault?”

Immediately, Oz objected, “Qrow. How many times do I have to tell you that what happened to me at the Battle of Beacon was _not your fault_.”

“About a thousand more might do it. Emphasis on _might_.”

Still holding Qrow’s face in his hand, Oz promised, “Then a thousand more times I will say it: neither you nor your semblance are responsible for someone else’s free and willing decision to harm another person.”

“I shouldn’t have followed you down to the vault in the first place…” Qrow said, his eyes lowering like he couldn’t bear to look at Oz directly.

“I respectfully disagree. I’m not sure I want to know what would have happened if you weren’t there.”

Qrow’s gaze returned to his husband’s face as he asked, “What makes you say that?”

“Because. I’m pretty sure I’d be dead if you hadn’t come back.”

For a split second, Qrow’s eyes went wide. Suddenly, he buried his face in Oz’s neck as he wrapped his husband in a big hug and squeezed as hard as he could. It was as if the slightest mention of Oz’s death scared Qrow into thinking his husband could disappear at any second.

“I love you, Oz,” Qrow whispered hoarsely.

Hugging him back, Oz could only manage to say one thing.

“I love you, too, Qrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you couldn't tell, I read Fairytales of Remnant right before writing this chapter and just couldn't resist referencing it in the stargazing scene XD I tried not to spoil too much for anyone who hasn't but wants to get the book, though!

**Author's Note:**

> *Triumphantly throws hands up in the air* I DID IT! MY BOYS ARE HAPPY! MY WORK IS DONE!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read this far!!! It was a lot to write and I know it's also a lot to read so I appreciate you taking the time and energy to read my work! I hope the ending was as satisfying to read as it was to write!
> 
> One more time: thank you so much for reading this story and this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! All feedback/comments/interaction of any kind is appreciated! I hope you're all healthy and safe!


End file.
